


Dust

by CynthiaK2014



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 20:29:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4033507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CynthiaK2014/pseuds/CynthiaK2014
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part of my Old West M7 Dust series.  It was the first one so got the shortest title.   Also some of the chapters are answers to challenges.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ezra  
*************** 

The damn dust was everywhere.

While part of my mind inventoried what needed to be brushed first, another part was surreptitiously watching Chris lay out our camp site with an economy of motion that made my pants pull tight across my groin. He would decry the notion that he was graceful as a wild cat but I knew better. I had months of experience in learning his movements with half glances, random looks and the use of reflective surfaces where ever we found ourselves.

But I’d never been alone with him like this. After dropping off the prisoner to a grateful sheriff, we’d begun the ride to Four Corners in silence. I was used to that from him. He rarely spoke to me except to order me to do something and I don’t know why I’d thought that this trip would be any different.

So, I gave him the gift of my silence while I brushed the trail dust from my jacket before hanging it up on a nearby bush. My hat was next and I brushed it until no more dust appeared. It went next to my jacket while I wondered if I dared take advantage of the lazy stream just a few feet from our campsite. I wanted a bath in the worst way but I didn’t want to antagonize Chris by seeming to be more fastidious than he already thought me.

But the damn dust had reached every inch of skin I possessed and I ached to be clean again. Not to mention, I needed to wash my underwear and shirt so I didn’t offend my silent partner. I cast a longing look at the stream and thought of the fresh bar of lavender soap in my saddlebags.

“It’s safe.” He startled me with the comment and I cast a quick look at him. “It’s only about two foot deep and there’s no poisonous snakes around here.”

That was the longest sentence he’d spoken in three days and I wasn’t sure how to answer him. “Thank you, Mr. Larabee. If you don’t mind, I will just take a quick wash to lave away the dust.”

He nodded, his fair hair gleaming in the red glow of sunset. It appeared that his quotient of words had been used up for the day. Ah well, I would survive his taciturn demeanor and live to ride another day. I pulled off my boots and took a moment to wipe them clean before setting them aside and removing my socks. Turning them inside out, I hung them on a lower branch to air. Barefoot, I gingerly walked to the stream edge before unbuttoning my shirt and setting it near by. Then my pants came off and the soft silk drawers that were all I’d been wearing underneath. 

The sun had warmed the small bend in the river until the water was almost as warm as the day had been. I submerged myself and came up with a smile. While I preferred a modern tub with unlimited hot water and bath oil for my skin, this would do quite nicely. Lathering the soap in my hands, I washed my hair first, ducking to rinse the suds away. Then I stood up and soaped myself all over before grabbing my shirt and drawers to wash.

A few minutes later, I had them hung up on an overhanging branch and I carefully stepped forth from the water in much better humor than I’d gone in. For the first time, I wondered if Chris might want to do the same and I turned my head to find him sitting by the fire and looking at me with the oddest expression on his face.

I blushed slightly before dropping my eyes and setting the soap back in the wooden box that kept it safe. “If you would like to bathe also, Mr. Larabee, I would be glad to loan you my soap.”

He cleared his throat but didn’t say anything and I kept my gaze low while I swallowed my hope that we might reach a rapprochement this trip. I kept hoping even though my past experience told me that men like Chris Larabee would never find a man like me worthy of being a friend. It still hurt when I told myself ‘I told you so’. Using the old towel that had become thread-worn over the years, I toweled dry and mopped up most of the water on my head.

Shrugging into my spare shirt, I let the tails hang down to cover my groin while I walked back to where my socks were hanging. Hanging my towel up, I exchanged it for my socks. Sitting down on my bedroll, I pulled them on to keep my feet warm. Searching for my comb, I ran it through my hair, combing my hair back in the hopes of discouraging the curls that would form before morning. 

“Yes.” His voice startled me and I looked up to find him standing in front of me, his hand out.

Soap. He wanted my soap. I swallowed hard and handed it over, making damn sure that our fingers didn’t touch. Just the sound of his voice was giving my lax cock ideas above its station. I determinedly didn’t watch him walk down to the river, giving myself a stern lecture about what was and what wasn’t appropriate. But a splash had me turning to the river and then there was nothing I could do to keep from watching him.

He was beautiful.

His long lean limbs were golden in the last of the sun, laced with the faint white tracings of old scars. There wasn’t a spare bit of flesh on his body and the setting sun had turned his wet hair to fire while I watched. Barely breathing, I memorized every inch of him for replaying later in that sad time between going to bed and sleeping. Strong legs disappearing into the cool water, muscular arms wreathed with soap suds, his groin just now arising from the foam and I had to close my eyes before I did something I’d regret.

'Not for you, not for you,' I chanted over and over to myself. Save it for your dreams, you idiot, I admonished myself most severely and willed my traitorous body to stop hardening. I studiously kept my eyes on the fire and the rabbit broiling there. The can of beans that I’d contributed to our evening meal was beginning to bubble in the small pan and I carefully knelt up to move it to one side so they didn’t burn.

“Thanks.” A tanned hand appeared in front of me with the box of soap and I took it carefully.

“You’re welcome.” I didn’t know what else to say so I stilled my wayward tongue and said nothing.

He walked around the fire in just his worn jeans and I had to bite my cheek to keep from sighing at the beautiful sight. Chris was obviously not wearing any underwear and I repeated my mantra over and over to keep from drooling. ‘Not for you, not for you…’ all the while I checked the rabbit and got our tin plates ready to receive our dinner. And that’s when I noticed that the small kettle had hot water just at the boil.

My gaze flew up in time to see him drop some tea into it. My eyes widened and my poor tongue got bitten yet again. I was going to be too sore to eat if I wasn’t careful. Why in the world was he making tea when for all I knew, he hated it? I tried very hard not to appear too different from the others, drinking their coffee when it was offered and keeping my tea for the moments when I was alone or with Josiah.

I could feel a smile try to form when I thought of the wise man with his kind heart. His travels had led him to far away lands and often we would sit in the old church and share tea with each other. I hadn’t realized that Chris had noticed. And in heaven’s name, why would he bring tea along on this trip? It hadn’t been in evidence earlier when we still had the prisoner.

Confusion seemed to be my natural state these days and I quietly sighed in sympathy with my wayward heart. It persisted in looking on the bright side while my brain was forced to remind me again and again what reality was. Reality was grudging acceptance and mild tolerance - that was all it had been and would be.

“How long does it need to steep?” The voice startled me into looking up

“It . . . it should be strong enough now.” I pulled my saddlebags closer and brought out the handkerchief that I used to strain out the tealeaves. Chris took it from me and used it in the manner that I always did, apportioning the tea into the two tin cups that sat ready and waiting. “Thank you, Mr. Larabee. The tea will be a nice accompaniment to our dinner.”

“Yes,” was all the infuriating man said while he began to cut up the rabbit evenly between our two plates.

I spooned up the beans, dividing them between us and accepted my meal from his hand. The tea was strong and hot, which felt quite nice with the cooling of the day. The rabbit was mostly tender and I cut it up into bite-sized pieces for ease in eating. The beans could have used some basil or perhaps a pinch of rosemary. I ate slowly, mulling over my next cooking venture. Perhaps some lemon would tame the rather gamy texture of the wild hare.

Inez was kind enough to allow me the use of the kitchen on Sundays while she went to church. The others didn’t know that I was the one who prepared their lunch that day and Inez had promised to keep my secret. My notes on what was liked and disliked were all being kept in my private journal. Some day I wanted to have my own restaurant in some cosmopolitan city like San Francisco where a man could be himself and not what others wanted him to be.

“Ezra?” 

His voice startled me out of my thoughts and I gaze at him across the fire. “Mr. Larabee.”

“Ask you a question?” His eyes gleamed in the firelight and the slight smile on his face was definitely a rare sight.

“Certainly, Sir.” I pulled my armor tight around me and braced myself mentally.

“You planning on staying in Four Corners?”

“Until there is something to move on to, I gave my promise to stay. My word may not be worth much but I do intend to keep it.” I smiled depreciatingly and finished my dinner. 

“It’s worth something.” The man across the fire said to my surprise.

I risked a glance at him and found that odd expression on his face again. “Yes, well, I’d better wash our dishes so we can retire for the night. Are you finished?”

“Yeah. How would you have cooked it?” His words froze me in mid-stretch. “If it was Sunday and I’d brought you a brace of rabbits?”

I literally didn’t know what to say to that astonishing statement. “I didn’t realize that you were of aware of my Sunday endeavors.”

“Saw you once rubbing a chicken with something when the door to the back blew open. Inez closed it right away but I wondered what you were doing back there and when we had roast chicken for Sunday dinner it tasted better than any kind of chicken I’d ever had.”

I was blushing and I didn’t know how to answer him. He liked my chicken, was all my brain seemed to be able to handle. “Do . . . do the others know?”

“Nope, not that I know of.”

“Thank you for keeping silent, I . . . I like to cook and the others might not . . . not enjoy their dinners if they knew that I was the cook.” I hadn’t stuttered this much in years. What was it about this man that flustered me so badly?

“Might tease you some but I notice they finish off everything on their plates but the painted on flowers.” Could that be a smile or perhaps a chuckle from the taciturn man?

“Yes, well that is the best accolade that a cook can receive. I’d best get to washing.” I took his plate gingerly, trying to not touch those long brown fingers. I’d forgotten that I was still in a state of undress and I only realized it when he caught his breath, his gaze on my shirttails.

I blushed again and scurried towards the river to wash up and get my composure back. His compliments had confused me to the point that I needed solitude to come to grips with what they might portend. He was only being pleasant to a fellow team member, I argued to myself while I flung the bones of our rabbit feast to the other side of the river. Using my hands, I washed the grease and beans into the flowing water, scrubbing with my fingertips until they felt clean.

Darkness masked my movements and I wished I could wrap it around myself like a cloak to hide me from his gaze. Nothing good could come of this. It never did when I let my defenses down. Only pain ever came from opening my heart. Arguing strongly for dispassionate conversation about cooking, I locked my mind into safe territory and rose to return to the fire.

But Chris was standing between me and the safety of my bedroll. “Ezra.”

“Mr. Larabee, it’s getting late and I am rather tired.” I had to look up into his face and the shadows made him look even taller than usual.

“After I tell you something.” He said quietly, his words making the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

“Certainly, Sir, please proceed.” I smiled although I was ready to scream.

“I don’t have your words so maybe I better just show you.” That was a definite chuckle and I had one brief moment of wonder before he came closer and pulled me into his arms.

He was fire-warmed and his bare chest burned me everywhere we touched. But not even that amazing sensation could compete with what he did next. My brain was reeling at the first touch and when his lips covered mine I’m afraid I whimpered. His arms were the only thing holding me up and I could feel his hands branding me through the linen of my shirt.

His. That’s what they branded onto me and even though this was only a dream, I knew that I’d never be able to remove that mark of possession. His lips were warm and his tongue traced mine until they opened for him. My lips were his along with every other part of me. The groan rather surprised me before I realized that it wasn’t mine but must belong to this dream-Chris that was pleasuring me so beautifully.

My dreams had never seemed this real before and when warm hands slid under my shirt and onto the downy skin of my nether cheeks, I moaned a little and tried to get closer to the man holding me. Hardness met hardness and I smiled dreamily under his kiss. Perhaps I’d be able last out this lovely dream all the way to completion. That rarely happened unless I took an active . . . hand in the proceedings.

“Damn, you taste good.” His lips were traveling across my jaw and down my throat to the hollow that always turned me to fire.

Something wasn’t right. Chris never spoke in my dreams. I opened my eyes and realized with mounting horror that I wasn’t dreaming at all. With a wrench, I pulled from his arms and fled back to the river. I stood knee deep in water and trembled as if with the ague. I could feel him approaching and I waded in further.

“Ezra, come on back to me.”

“No, not until you tell me why you did . . . that.”

“I kissed you.”

“Yes, that.”

“I love you.”

“No. You can’t.”

“Sorry, but I do.”

I risked a glance at him. The new moon gave little light but it was enough to see his face. “You don’t even like me.”

“Got to say I didn’t when we first met.” He took a step closer and I backed away again. “But I do now. You’re a good man, Ezra Standish. You hide it under all those layers you built up over the years. I think I know why you did it and I respect the courage it took to stay with us here.”

“I gave you my word. That doesn’t explain the . . . the kiss.”

He came to the water’s edge and crouched so I had to look down to see him. “Felt different the last few weeks and I didn’t know why. Reason I picked you for this trip, needed some time alone with you to see why I was feeling what I was feeling.”

He stopped there and I took a deep breath then another while he thought about something. Finally the silence grew too much for me and I spoke. “And what were you feeling?”

“Love, the forever-kind-of-love, the same thing I had with Sarah.”

“No, that’s not possible.” I whispered, shaking my head in denial. “You’re just confused at the moment. Have you ever even lain with a man?”

“Yeah, I have a long time ago. It was good but we were better friends than lovers.”

“Mr. Wilmington.” It wasn’t really a question. “And Mrs. Travis?”

“She’s the most irritating woman I’ve ever met, kind of like you on a real bad day. She just doesn’t have any good days the way you do.” His chuckle almost made me smile in return. “I don’t love her and I never will. ‘Cause I only give my heart to one person at a time and you’ve had it for awhile now.”

I shook my head again, closing my eyes and trying to harden my heart against the seductive words that I’d always wanted to hear from this man. “I don’t think I have a heart to give, Mr. Larabee and you would only be disappointed in my body.”

“Nope, I wouldn’t, Ezra. My name is Chris and I want to hear you say it.” With nothing more than a slight splash, I found myself in his arms again. “You can moan it if it that helps?”

The tremors were noticeable now and I tried to escape that firm grip but he held on. And he was kissing me again until I couldn’t think at all, only feel. Why had I ever thought that I had a chance resisting this man? I wanted to lose myself in him and not even self-preservation was going to stop me now. It would hurt all the more when morning came and he relegated me to the shadows of his silence.

But I needed him so badly that I would take the joy and use it to bolster the pain that would come. And I gave him my permission with a single word. “Chris.”

“Can we get out of the river now, Ezra?” The plaintive question surprised me into laughter and he joined in all the way back up to the bank and across to my bedroll. “I’ve been wanting to take off this damn shirt since you put it on. You were so beautiful in the water while you were bathing. I tried not to look but I just couldn’t help myself.”

I blushed and sat down to remove my soaking wet socks and the shirt he seemed to object to, but I was distracted by his wet jeans slowly sliding down those long legs of his. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath at the sight of his cock springing forth from the nest of blond curls. I just had to touch him. Wet steel was all I could think of while my fingers stroked over the warm length of him.

“God, Ezra, that feels so good.” He groaned and I felt one of his hands comb through my hair. “I could come just like this but I want to touch you, too.”

Then the jeans were being kicked away and he was beside me on the blankets, his busy fingers unbuttoning me from top to bottom. I couldn’t catch my breath and the firelight gleaming on his skin took away my speech. He was beauty incarnate and I memorized every bit of him for the time when he wasn’t there.

“Ezra, please tell me you want this.” He leaned over me and I realized with a start that I was flat on my back while he lay atop me like a breathing blanket. “Ezra?”

I couldn’t stand the note of uncertainty in his normally commanding voice. “I want this. I want you more than I’ve ever,” I could give him nothing less than my complete honesty, “ever wanted anyone.”

And he took my words and me into his capable hands. It had been a very long time since I’d been touched with love and I almost didn’t recognize it. But with every stroke of his hand I could almost believe that he meant what he’d said. I burned every place our skin met and that was just about everywhere. My hands trembled when I began to touch him in return but I grew braver when he gasped at a particularly bold caress and leaned in to kiss me hard.

I was in danger of suffocating when he finally wrenched his lips from mine to take a harsh breath. I panted aloud and his eyes blazed into mine before he took my mouth again with all the passion he was unleashing upon me. I lost track of the kisses but I definitely noticed when he slid down my body to loosely hold my rock-hard cock before tasting me.

I think I may have shouted when he slid more of me inside his mouth but it took only a few strong sucks before I was shaking into a release the likes of which I’d never experienced in my whole life. I may have blacked out for a moment because my next memory is of him cradling me atop his body and I wasn’t sure how I got there.

“You taste real good, Ezra. If you don’t mind, I plan on draining you regularly.”

I had no words to answer that amazing statement so I kissed him instead. But he was still hard as ever and I wiggled out of his arms and slid to one side so I could reciprocate. He sighed and I felt his fingers stroking my hair while I ran a gentle finger up the long shaft that bobbed above his groin. So beautiful and so hot that I needed to cool him down. I blew across the crimson crown and felt him twitch all over.

Then I licked my way from the root up to the flaring crown before laving it with broad sweeps of the rough edge of my tongue. He was panting now and I smiled up at him before I sucked the entire crown into my mouth, fluttering my tongue against the vein that brought blood where it was needed.

He was chanting my name with each lick or suck and I thought how much I wanted to hear him say that over and over again. But he was leaking a little for me and I sucked harder so I had more of that lovely bitter taste. Then with a groan, he flooded my mouth with his salty essence and I was too busy swallowing to really taste him. But all too soon he went limp and still so I took the time to leisurely lick his skin in case I’d missed any of his seed.

“Ezra.” It was only a whisper but it brought me sliding up his body at once. His eyes were so satiated that I could have cheered but instead I just laid my head on his shoulder and tried to believe that this would last past morning.

“Ezra, I love you.” He feathered a kiss against my temple and I felt tears fill my eyes. If only I could believe him. “I love you and I’m going to keep telling you until you believe me with all your heart the way I love you with all of mine. Give us a chance and I promise that I’ll hold you safe.”

I took a deep breath then another and rose up enough to look into his eyes. Mother had always said that what a man was thinking was in his eyes. Even though I was afraid all the way down to my toes, I decided to trust what I was seeing. “I will try to let down the walls that I have built. I do . . . love you, Chris.”

“Then that’s where we’ll start to build a life together. Love is the best foundation there is, Ezra. Well, that and food. My father always told me to marry a good cook. I’m not sure that you’re quite what he had in mind but I think you’re just about perfect.” He said judiciously and I tried not to laugh, I really did but it bubbled out of me like hot water at a full boil.

He joined in and we lay there laughing until we were limp. I’d never known that love and laughter could go hand in hand but I was learning. I could hardly wait for more such lessons. Perhaps I really had won the last and best hand in the game of love. Silently, I made a vow to try my very best to give him all he would need. Including my cooking.

********************


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after.

Chris  
**************** 

He’d tried to escape me twice before dawn but I just hung on and planted little kisses all over that beautiful face until he stilled in my arms. Even though we’d made love several times, I knew that I hadn’t convinced him completely that I loved him. That would take time – time and action on my part.

I’m a private man so showing him my love was going to be difficult but Ezra would need more than words from me although heaven knew I’d need words, too. I’ve been a close-mouthed son of a bitch as Buck was wont to say but if Ezra needed something from me then he’d get it. I vowed that to myself while holding him close.

The sky was slowly losing its stars and it was almost time for the sun to come creeping over the horizon. I could see better now and I gazed on him as if I’d never seen him before. That curly lock of hair had fallen onto his forehead and I brushed it back, lingering for a moment to run my fingers through the softest hair I’d ever felt.

He was always washing and I was going to have to take more care than I was used to. It had been a habit with Sarah and Adam, now there was Ezra and he was no less important to me then they had been. Over at the dry goods store, I’d overheard Gloria tell Mary that Ezra used a special soap on his hair. At the time, I’d been kind of scornful but now I though that maybe there just might be something to it.

We both smelled of lavender and I realized that I’d smelled that on him before. Lots of little things I’d been noticing all along but I was just now paying attention. Like the way he stood up to the men he played cards with when they accused him of cheating. And the way he always acted surprised by a compliment. My thumb stroked the side of his throat and a little smile crossed his lips.

His lips.

They were soft and a little swollen still from the kisses we’d exchanged in the dark. I’d not ever tasted anything so good in my whole life, sweet but tart with that faint hint of tea leaves. I had come to the church looking for Josiah and found them drinking tea a couple of weeks ago. Ezra had left immediately and I’d been kind of upset that he was avoiding me.

Josiah had mentioned that they both enjoyed tea and talking about traveling around the country and the world. He’d answered my questions about what I’d come for. Whatever it was wasn’t as important as the problem the whole incident had brought to my attention. I’d felt something then but couldn’t figure it out. I knew what it was now. Jealousy, pure green envy of Josiah and his closeness to Ezra.

My Ezra.

I’d always been a possessive son of a bitch and it had only gotten worse as I aged. I’d lost my purpose in living after the death of my family but good friends and a cause had brought me back out of my self-imposed exile from the human race. It had hurt at first but damned if I wasn’t waking up to everything that life could offer. 

And that had led me here to a campfire by a stream and the man in my arms.

My Ezra, that had a real good sound to it. He was still unsure of us and scared right down to those pretty toes of his but he’d tried real hard to show me his love. Oh, I’d noticed his watching me now and then. But until I started watching back two weeks ago, I hadn’t realized how often he looked at me. And all too often, it was with a flinch or that damn poker face that frustrated me.

‘Course meeting Maude had gone a long way to explaining some of Ezra’s mannerisms. She’s an interesting woman but a fond mother, she ain’t. I had a lot more respect for him after her visit. Anybody that could do that to her own boy, well I had to just shake my head. He had more prickles than a porcupine but I finally understood why.

But some days ago, everything had changed. A fight in the saloon was kind of common on payday when the ranch hands came into town to get liquored up. But the poker table got involved and when I heard a shot but couldn’t see Ezra, I like to stopped breathing. I panicked pure and simple, ended up yelling at him when it wasn’t his fault at all. He’d heard me out and agreed with everything I said with a perfectly blank face.

It was only later that Vin had told me that Ezra had almost gotten killed. In fact he would have except for the extra deck of cards that he was carrying in his pocket. Then he asked me why I was so mad at Ezra while I tried not to shake at that news. I told him I wasn’t but he just shook his head and told me to look in my heart. It took me most of the week before I understood what he was saying.

And it took Mary, of all people, to open my eyes to what I was feeling.

She was walking with Ezra discussing something vitally important, the way she always did. But this time, she put her hand on his arm and looked up at him with those big blue eyes of hers and he laughed out loud and picked up her hand to kiss it. It was something that Buck might do and I’d just smile at his foolishness. But not Ezra and certainly not Ezra with Mary.

I saw red but luckily a telegram distracted me. It asked us to deliver the prisoner in our jail to Green Rock. I looked up and saw Ezra again, tipping his hat to Mary and sauntering up to the saloon for his afternoon libation, as he liked to call it. And I knew that I needed to do some serious thinking about what I was feeling but I needed Ezra near by while I did it.

So, I told him it was his turn to help escort the prisoner. His eyes widened but any protest died a’borning when I glared at him. I made arrangements for supplies and the horse that Evan Baker had stolen from a breeder in Green Rock could transport him back there. Ezra met us at the stable and we started our trip. If it had been Vin, we’d have stayed silent but it would have been a shared silence, but not with Ezra.

He and Baker chatted about horses and Atlanta and a dozen different subjects while I watched them. The two-day trip went easily and we turned Baker over to the sheriff of Green Rock. He loaded us up with supplies for our trip back and stood us to a glass of whiskey in thanks. Ezra looked kind of longingly at the small boarding house but I told him that we needed to get right back.

Nodding, he stayed silent and suddenly I wanted my talkative Ezra back. I really hoped that I hadn’t scared him with my glare too badly. I’d already planned to talk to him over dinner but then I saw him looking so longingly at the water and I told him it was safe. I’m pretty sure that I forgot to breathe a couple of times when I watched him bathing. He was so beautiful without all those layers protecting him. 

And I realized that I wanted to see him like that every day for the rest of our lives.

I hadn’t planned on scaring him into the stream but I surely panicked him good. But when he finally relaxed into my arms and returned my kiss, I knew I’d won him. Only for the moment though, I hadn’t convinced him completely that we were a good idea. Oh, I could see the problems all right. I just didn’t want to dwell on them while we were still so new.

I wanted so deep inside of him that he could never again do without me. And that was one tall order. I was so busy worrying about what I would say to him that I didn’t notice those big green eyes open.

“You regret it.” He sounded resigned.

“Never.” I cupped his cheek. “I need to tell you things but I don’t know how. When Sarah and Adam died, I lost the ability to do anything more than hide inside of myself. Not talking was just a way to keep what was left of me private. But you need words and I’m afraid I’ll fuck up.”

And that’s when he smiled, a real smile not the polite one that he usually used. “I think I’ll understand if you just don’t go completely silent on me.”

“Oh, Ezra.” I kissed him then, like he was the air I needed to breathe.

His little groan made my cock go absolutely rigid with need. He wasn’t far behind me and soon our hands were caressing each other until we both burst all over each other. He began to chuckle and I realized that I wanted to hear that sound every day. So I told him that and watched his smile grow even larger.

“Chris, I use words to hide behind because I’m afraid that someone will see the frightened man behind my façade.” He swallowed and I wanted to kiss him again but I could see that this was important. “You may not love the man that I am hiding.”

“Nah, Ezra, you’re gold all the way through just like that tooth of yours. I don’t think there’s a man living who isn’t hiding something. God knows I was a mean son of a bitch after Sarah and Adam. Why the hell Buck never just shot me and put me out of my misery, I’ll never know.”

“Because he’s your friend and he knows that deep inside of you, you’re an honorable man who believes in justice.” Ezra smiled but this time it had an edge of bitterness. “I am not such a man and my past has not been the best. You will be disappointed if you truly wish to know the ‘real’ me.”

He’d been hurt so badly and I could see him brace himself for my condemnation. “Ezra, you’re a good and decent man. What happened before in another place, that’s just not important any more.” I lifted his chin so I could see his eyes. “You’re kind and gentle and caring. I could list a dozen times that you’ve come through for the town and for me. You haven’t been given the credit you should have but that’s going to stop right now.”

Those eyes of his were frightened. “You would tell the others . . . about us?”

“That I love you . . . sure.” I kept it simple and wondered how to soothe him.

“You shouldn’t, they won’t understand.” He shook his head and I felt a fine tremor go through him.

“Vin will. He’s the one who told me to look in my heart when I yelled at you last Saturday after the shooting.” It was my turn to shiver at the thought of how close he’d come to dying. “I was so scared that you’d been wounded or . . . worse.”

He hugged me close, his hands patting my back. “I’m fine. Josiah told me that you didn’t mean what you said but I thought it was just another failure on my part.”

“No! Ez’, you didn’t fail any of us. I didn’t know what I was feeling but Vin he just looked at me and said, ‘Cowboy, why so angry? You wish Ezra had been shot?’ And that silenced me all at once. Then he told me to look into my heart to see why I was so mad. Couple days later, I saw you walking with Mary and you . . . you kissed her hand. And that’s when it hit me. I was jealous of Mary because she had your attention. She was the one you were kissing and I wanted it to be me.”

He looked stunned those perfect lips of his were moving but no sounds were coming out. It looked like I’d finally flummoxed him. I couldn’t enjoy it too much though or I’d surely pay for it when his vocabulary came back. So I leaned in and kissed him gently, giving him time to settle things in his mind. Besides, my body was waking up and it really wanted to touch Ezra everywhere.

So I gathered him on top of me and held him close while he struggled with my words. If I hadn’t done such a good job of keeping him at arm’s length, he might not be having such a hard time believing that I loved him now. I really hadn’t been fair to him and I needed to make it up some how. I hadn’t been a giving man for a long time but I wanted to give him everything he needed.

“Chris.” He hesitated then I could see him gather his courage. “I am not perhaps the most dependable of men.” When I would have protested, he laid those long elegant fingers over my lips. “I have little experience in . . . loving but if you wish it, I will try.”

He was a brave man, my Ezra. I could feel the little tremors shaking him and in the early morning light, I thought I could see tears. “It’s been a long time for me, Ezra but I promise that I’ll take good care of your heart if you’ll let me.”

Nodding, he buried his face in that little space between my throat and my shoulder. “You have had my heart for a long time now.”

I held him close, rocking him gently as I’d once rocked my son when he couldn’t sleep. “And you’ve had mine although I didn’t know it. It’s a good thing you’re the smart one in this relationship.”

He froze for a long moment then raised up to look down at me with the most astonished look on his face. “You think I’m smart?”

Damn, I had a lot to make up to him. Taking a deep breath, I let it out and stroked his cheek. “You’re well read. You’ve traveled all over the country. You survived the War intact. You’re cool and calm while you play cards even when they accuse you of cheating. And I know you don’t cheat but I expect you know how. You have stories inside of you, that I love to listen to you tell the kids in town. And I fully expect to still be surprised by you when we’re old and gray.”

His eyes overflowed and he hid again while I soothed his shoulders with my hands in long strokes to calm him. “I . . . I love you too, Chris. You really want us to be together for that long?”

“For the rest of our lives, Ezra P. Standish. That’s what I want for us.” I felt him calm slowly and I kept up my strokes until he was relaxed against me. “Now, we kind of made a mess when we woke up this morning so how about we go back into the stream without our clothes on this time?”

He chuckled and licked my neck and damned if I didn’t start hardening all over again. Ezra slid off of me and rose to his feet in one graceful move that made my heart beat faster. Holding out his hand, I took it and let him pull me up. But I kept a hold of him all the way to the sparkling stream where I walked right in while he hesitated a moment. 

It was cool all right but I just pulled him in after me and overbalanced us both with a splash. He came up sputtering while I tried to stop laughing but the look of awe on his face sobered me up. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve never heard you laugh like that before.” He said simply. “I like it.”

“Haven’t had much to laugh about but I expect that you’ll be able to get me to.” I blushed a little and tried to remember the last time I had laughed this hard.

“Indeed, Sir, I believe however that you need chastising for your unceremonious dumping of my person in this freezing cold water.” He disappeared and I felt his fingers tickling my sides.

Writhing under the assault, I was laughing so hard that I fell back under water with him. He swarmed up my body and suddenly I was convinced that the water was closer to boiling than freezing. We surfaced and it was my turn to be awed by the beautiful face in front of me. Water droplets on those dark lashes of his made me want to lick every single drop from his skin.

“Ezra, you’re beautiful.” I could see that I embarrassed him but it was God’s own truth. “You’re going to get sick of me saying that but it’s true.”

“Oh, Chris, you’re the one who shines in this morning light.” His fingers were trembling a little when he brushed back my hair. “You’re so very golden.”

“We’re a real pair, Ez’. How about we just agree that we’re the best looking men in, say a hundred square miles?” I brought both hands up to smooth them over his chest, watching his nipples peak under my caress.

“Oh . . . at least that far.” He shivered and returned my caress before dropping his hand lower to glove my cock.

It was time for something more and I knew just what I wanted. “Ezra, I need you.”

“You have me, Sir.” He tilted his head. “Whatever you need, I shall give you.”

That was the most exciting thing I’d heard in a very long time. Swallowing, I slid my hand over his cock. “I need you inside of me. Making me yours.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more astonished look on anybody’s face in my whole life. His mouth fell open and then he swallowed hard. “Me? Inside of you?”

Leaning forward, I kissed him slow and sure until we needed to breathe. “You . . . inside of me, giving me all your strength and power. I want to ache deep inside and feel you every time I get in the saddle.”

Those beautiful green eyes of his were flashing emerald sparks at me and he pulled me close to ravish my lips. I was so involved in the kiss that I missed him sinking a finger inside of me until he made me shiver. I think I moaned but that might have been when he wrenched away from me to breathe. Then he was streaking from the water towards his saddlebags and I watched him take out the lavender soap we’d used that night.

And these shivers were anticipation not fear. He rejoined me and asked almost fiercely. “You’re sure?”

“I’m more sure than I’ve ever been in my life.” I turned towards the shore and got down on all fours so I was half in and half out of the water.

He moved up behind me and he stroked over my back to my ass, warming me with the too-light touch. He repeated it with soapy hands and tickled me lightly making me squirm with need. And finally one soapy finger returned to my entrance and slid inside. In and out, in and out, then a bit of pain flared as one finger became two. I made myself relax all over and I knew he felt the difference because he was coming back in with three fingers and this time he sparked that place inside of me that made me shiver.

“More.” I managed to say and listened to him laugh out loud.

“So impatient, Chris, where is that seasoned hunter with the infinite patience?” He teased me but before I could answer, I felt his fingers leave.

He was warm and blunt, pressing in inexorably past suddenly tight muscles. With just the crown inside, he paused and stroked my flanks until I relaxed. Then he forged inside of me until I felt his balls flush against my cheeks. I was panting through the pain but the warmth was helping.

“Mine.” He said quietly.

“Yours.” I said with a deep breath. “More, please.”

“More it is, Chris.” And he pulled most of the way out before thrusting back inside. On the second thrust he hit my hot spot and I flushed all the way down to my toes. Then he began to speed up, heating me over and over. His hands settled on my hips, holding me still while he thrust with all his strength, just the way I wanted him.

I locked my arms or I would have been face first in the water. The sound of his balls slapping my cheeks was music to my ears and he was grunting just a little at each stroke. I was on fire from the top of my head to the soles of my feet and when he slid a hand off my hip to grasp my cock, I thought my heart would stop. With a cry, I came hard in his hand, jerking over and over while my hot seed swirled into the cool water of the stream.

And he was flooding me with his heat, slumping onto my back with a sigh of completion. 

My arms were trembling when he finally moved off of me and began to rock slowly. I tried to keep him inside of me but I could feel him softening no matter what I did. “Sh-h-h, Chris, don’t let me hurt you now.”

I felt a splash of cool water on the spot where we were joined and my shiver finally forced him out. I would have fallen but for his strong arms pulling me up and cradling me against his chest. “Thank you, Ezra.”

“I should be the one thanking you, Chris.” He kissed the side of my throat and I turned so I could kiss his lips.

We feasted on each other for a long moment until I moved too quickly and felt the sore muscles protest. “I am definitely going to be feeling you for a while.”

His smile was bigger than I’d ever seen on him. “Good, how about we take our time today and have another bath this afternoon so I can have my own ache?”

And damned if my cock didn’t think that was a great idea. Laughing quietly, I held him in my arms and looked ahead with joy instead of behind with sorrow. “If that’s what you want, Ezra, I’ll be more than happy to make sure you get it. That’s if we can find the soap again.”

He chuckled and turned my head to the grassy bank where the bar of pale lavender soap lay so innocently. “I tossed it up just in case I lost control.”

“I love the way you think ahead. Now, how about breakfast?” I stood up with a wince, pulling him up with me.

He smoothed both hands over my cheeks kind of possessive like. “I promise you a gourmet meal, Chris. You’re going to need all of your strength.”

And that sounded like just a little slice of heaven to me. Following that tempting body out of the water, I smiled. I was one lucky cowboy to have found love the second time around. 

*******************


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They return to town and the real world.

Ezra  
**************** 

I was almost paralyzed with fear but trying not to show it. Chaucer knew something was wrong but I truly thought I was hiding it from Chris until he put a quiet hand on mine and stopped us both.

“Ezra, we’re going to be all right. I love you too much to want to cause you anymore pain than I already have.” Those hazel eyes looked straight into mine and I felt myself tremble when he brought my hand to his lips to lay a gentle kiss into my palm.

“What if they don’t understand?” My voice was just a whisper. “Vin and Buck are your best friends and I’m just . . . a . . .” I wasn’t sure what I was any more.

“You’re the man that I want to spend the rest of my life with, Ezra. You’re the man that gave me love when I thought I’d never love again.” He pulled me close and kissed me thoroughly until I relaxed.

Chaucer and Pony had gotten used to us stopping close together over the last day’s riding. I was glad that they seemed to like each other or one of us would have been bucked off before now. Resting my head against Chris’ shoulder, I sighed.

“I love you, Chris. I just don’t want to ruin your friendships with the others.”

“If they can’t accept us then that’s their problem, not ours. Vin probably already has and once Buck stops to think about it, he’ll probably be the first one to ask us who’s on top.” Chris chuckled and I had to smile.

“Don’t stop laughing, Chris. It’s the most beautiful music I ever heard.” I licked the side of his throat and felt him shiver in the noonday sun. “And it’s none of his business who is on top of who when he can’t even bring himself to seduce JD.”

Chris chuckled again and let me go. “Well, maybe you could give him some pointers. Just remember that I have to be there if you’re going to start tutoring Buck in love.”

“Indeed, I wouldn’t be able to teach unless I had a handy student nearby to demonstrate with.” I let go of him reluctantly and urged Chaucer onward.

“Yeah, I’m the only one who gets to help you out.” His glare was a tenth of its former fury and I smiled back at him, disarmed at his show of jealousy.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

We rode on and I realized that he had calmed my nerves quite effectively. He hadn’t however, calmed them completely for we had no way of knowing how Josiah and Nathan would react. The healer and I had an uneasy truce while the preacher was someone that I could have loved if Chris hadn’t taken me as his. I didn’t know if my lover realized that or not and I certainly wasn’t going to tell him.

JD would accept it if Buck did. Those two had been dancing around each other for over a year now and I idly wondered if maybe I should help them out. A smile crossed my lips and I thought about all the different ways they might be led to each other.

“Damn it, Ezra. Don’t get that look on your face when we’re in sight of town and I can’t do anything about it.” Chris’ exasperated tones made me grin even wider.

“Ah have no idea what you’re talking about, Sir. Why Ah’m just riding along thinking about what we’ll have for dinner, which Ah might add, Ah might be persuaded to eat in my room in case a gentleman comes to call.” I shot him a flirty look from under my eyelashes and watched his smile break out.

“I believe you might be right, Ezra. Gentlemen callers are probably always knocking at your door.”

“Indeed, yes. However, there is a secret knock that only the man who holds my heart knows how to tap. I’ll only be opening the door if I hear two shorts, a pause and one more knock. Why look the town limits are just ahead.” And I clucked Chaucer to a canter while Chris swore behind me, trying to catch up. We ended in a dead heat at the back of the stable where Vin was waiting for us.

He looked at us each for a long moment then smiled that sweet smile of his. “Good to have you back. I see that everything is fine on the trail.”

Chris nodded and smiled the beaming smile that I’d only seen in the last two days. “Everything is perfect, Vin. How did it go here?”

“Two drunks, one suspected cow thief and one case of food poisoning over at the hotel. Other than that, it was real quiet. Looks like it was noisier out where you were.”

I blushed to the tips of my ears while Chris just laughed out loud and slapped Vin on the shoulder. “You just might be right, Vin.”

Gathering my saddlebags, I nodded to them before leading Chaucer into the stables for his rubdown. Young Brewster took him from me and promised he’d take good care of him. I ruffled his hair and told him thank you. Whenever I was flush, I made sure that I tipped him for his good care of Chaucer. The chestnut had been a friend to me for several years and deserved any extra treats I could give him.

Walking to the saloon, I waved to Inez before heading up the stairs to my room. Unloading my saddlebags, I put all the clothes into the dirty pile and made a note to myself to send them over to the Chang laundry. They’d set up shop after the railroad had gone through south of here and I favored their skill in returning my shirts to me the same color as I sent to them.

I wondered if Chris used them too and stopped brushing my hair. Gazing in the mirror over the dresser, I asked myself if I looked any different. I hadn’t seemed to change but my eyes seemed bigger or maybe they were sparkling just a touch more. Suddenly a knock came at my door.

Two taps, a pause and one more.

My stomach tightened in anticipation and I hurried to open it. Chris slipped inside the moment it opened and I was in his arms before it had a chance to completely close again. His lips were on mine as if he wanted to suck my heart right out of my breast. I slid my arms around his waist and hung on while he ravished my mouth. When finally the kiss gentled, I’m not sure which of us sighed first.

“I looked around and you weren’t there. Scared me so bad that I left Vin still talking and headed right here. Damn, Ezra, don’t do that. Least ways, not while we’re so new. I need you where I can see you and know you’re safe.” He stroked his hands down my back in long soothing slides.

“The others will definitely notice us if we’re joined at the hip.” I licked his throat again and pondered all the other spots on his body that I wanted to get my tongue on.

“Rather be joined somewhere else.” He slid his hands over my ass and pressed our groins closer together. “More I have of you the more I want.”

“Very, very true, Chris. But we agreed to be circumspect for a while until we can discover the other’s views. Vin seems to be all right with us?” I pulled far enough back to see his eyes.

The affection in them made me smile. “He’s fine. He was laughing fit to bust when I noticed you were gone and took off after you.”

“Good, one down and four to go.” I was still a little nervous.

“We’ll approach ‘em together that way we’ll have each other to watch our backs.” He said from under my ear while he sucked lightly on that spot that made me shiver. “We need to check in at the jail to see JD and let him know we’re back.” But he kept on kissing down my throat while I leaned against the door and wondered if I could come with only that to stimulate me.

“Chris.” I sighed his name and he finally stopped.

“I know. But we’ll see the others and then go take a bath before coming back here, yes?” His eyes sparkled and I couldn’t help my own smile.

“Yes, to anything you want.” I gave him my trust and he returned it threefold.

“You’ll come back inside of me?” His voice was low and hungry.

“Yes, oh yes.” Being inside of him was like reaching nirvana and the only thing better was when he took me. However, we had to first get through meeting the rest of our group.

“Ready?” He held me at arm’s length and I nodded with a deep breath. 

I tidied his collar and took him to my mirror so he could brush his hair. That seemed like such an intimate thing to do, lending him my brush, which was silly when we’d shared our bodies so completely. But it seemed that I needed to worry about something to keep the greater worry away.

He went down the front stairs while I took the back so I could talk to Inez about dinner. Her bright eyes wondered why I was taking such pains with the food but with just one addition, her menu would be fine. Then I went out to find Josiah and Nathan sitting by Chris. Swallowing hard, I put a smile on my face and went to sit by our preacher. He welcomed me with a big grin and a pat on my shoulder that helped settle my nerves.

“Welcome back, s- Ezra.” He caught himself and I smiled gratefully at him. My father was not someone I wanted to be reminded of. Josiah was his polar opposite in every way and my affection for him overflowed into my smile.

He blinked at me and I could see him wondering why I was grinning at him. A quick look at Chris showed me his frown and I tried to put my poker face back on but he’d ruined me forever that way. All I felt had to be in my eyes because his gaze gentled at once.

“That must have been a very interesting trip, gentlemen.” Nathan’s voice sounded rather dry and I know that I went rigid with fear when I heard it. “Ezra.”

I dragged my gaze up from the table where it had fallen and met his chocolate eyes.

“I’m happy for you both.” He said simply while I almost fainted at the release of tension. “I know how it feels.” And I saw his gaze go to Josiah with an affectionate smile that made my eyes widen. 

“Josiah?” I asked him. “Are you happy, too?”

“Very happy, Ezra. The good Lord moves in mysterious ways, his miracles of love to perform.” He patted my hand and I wanted to kiss him.

“Well, it looks like we have some things to celebrate.” Chris’ voice brought my attention back to him and I saw him smiling at Inez behind the bar. It was obviously the sign she had been waiting for because she immediately brought over a bottle of whiskey and some clean glasses.

Chris poured us each out a glass and held his up in a toast. “May we always stay the good friends that we are right now.”

“Amen, brother.” Josiah’s deep voice filled our corner of the bar while we all sipped.

“And may we always see truly into the heart of our fellow men.” Nathan said quietly.

“Indeed, to friends.” I managed to say while swallowing against the tears that choked my throat. To have acceptance where I’d feared condemnation was almost too much for me to assimilate.

“Now, boys, it looks like you started without us.” Buck’s voice boomed from behind me. “I call that right unfriendly of you.” He sat down by Nathan and took one of the glasses that Chris had poured, his eyes busy looking between us to figure out what was going on while JD sat down at my other side. 

I handed him a glass and saw JD’s wistful look divided between Chris and me. I’d always known that he was not the total innocent that he appeared. But Buck was still protecting his heart from pain and not looking at the love that was just waiting for him. I was so happy that I wanted everyone to feel the same.

“JD, after dinner, Chris and I need to go over to the bathhouse to bathe away our trip. Why don’t you join us so we can give you the report of our journey at the same time?” I offered.

“That sounds good, Ezra.” His eyes had widened again and I realized that I’d been so informal as to use his first name. “I’ll bet the trip was hard on your clothes.”

I tried not to blush, I really did but all I could think about was the way that Chris had torn open my shirt in his haste to get it off of me. “Yes, travel doesn’t agree with cotton.”

And Chris choked while trying not to laugh and swallow at the same time. His eyes promised me retribution while Josiah slapped his back but all I could think was how beautiful his laughter was. Buck was looking back and forth between us with dawning understanding that bode a private conversation before too long.

Dinner was a rather gay affair with more laughter around the table than I’d ever encountered before. I made sure that I asked JD’s opinion on several of our topics and I watched Buck without seeming to. He didn’t like it when JD’s attention was on one of us and not on him. Vin had joined us and sat between Buck and our sheriff. I have to say that the quiet tracker saw what I was doing and played up beautifully.

He got JD to laugh twice and I could see Buck beginning to look worried. Somehow we all decided to go to the bathhouse for baths and after praising Inez for dinner, we left the saloon still talking and laughing. JD and Vin walked on ahead with Buck quick to catch up while Chris kept pace at my side with a quiet chuckle.

I dearly loved hearing him laugh. His smile was so beautiful to me that I’m afraid that I had a rather silly look on my face when he placed a hand on my back to let me go first through the door of the slightly steamy shack that served the town of Four Corners. One of these days, I wanted a bathtub all my own in the privacy of my very own bathroom. I sighed, with hot and cold running water.

Some day. I began to remove my clothes while still pondering the joys of civilized bathing. A hand reached around me and I realized that Chris had steered me into one of the blanketed alcoves for a little privacy. His fingers were unbuttoning my shirt and the look on his face could only be called lascivious. So I began my own undressing of his tempting body and it became a race to see who got naked first.

We both won and with a hasty kiss we wrapped towels around us and went out to the tubs of steamy water. JD was already in one scrubbing industriously away at one foot while Vin was soaking quietly next to him. I feared that our tracker’s back was bothering him again and I pondered how to get him to accept a massage from our healer.

Sinking into the hot water, I sighed happily and reached for the soap the same time that Chris did. Our eyes met and promised more later. It was amazing how expressive his eyes were now that the shutters of his pain had been removed. I let him have the soap and looked around in time to see Nathan hand some soap to Josiah. Our preacher smiled and reached over to scrub our healer’s back.

That relationship was almost as surprising as Chris’ declaration to me. And yet, they were well matched, both being healers in different ways. Nathan healed bodies while Josiah healed hearts. It was good to see them together. I felt Chris’ hand on my back and I leaned forward with a wiggle so he could reach that itchy spot on my lower back. JD’s eyes got really big and he kept shooting us little glances.

I began to tell him about our trip and what the sheriff had said when we delivered our prisoner. Halfway through my story, I sat back and took the soap from Chris to begin washing his back. He took up our report and finished it about the same moment I dropped the soap accidentally. He shot me a wicked look when I tried fishing for it and I sent him a chastising look that I’m afraid was spoiled by the twinkle in my eyes.

Josiah’s chuckle brought our eyes to him. “Boys, I’m glad to see how helpful we are. Vin, Nathan and I would be glad to see you in the clinic later if you’d like a little heat on that back of yours.”

“I’m fine, Josiah.” Vin shook his head.

“A little heat wouldn’t hurt, Vin.” Chris told him quietly.

“Nathan’s healing hands give a very good massage.” I added gently, hoping that Vin wouldn’t mind.

Bright blue eyes met mine and he nodded slowly. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt. It does kind of ache a little.”

An understatement if I’d ever heard one. But Nathan was approving his acceptance and the three of them were reaching for towels and preparing to dress to leave. I watched them duck behind another of the blanket walls and realized that it would just be the four of us left. I shot a look at Chris and he nodded slowly to tell me it was all right to go ahead.

The sound of the others leaving strengthened my resolve to speak up. “JD, I can see that you have some questions to ask of Chris and myself. It’s all right.”

“Is it true that men can love other men?” His dark brown eyes were so earnest.

“Yes, it’s true. It’s not condoned by any church other than Josiah’s but throughout history there have always been men who love their fellow men.” Anticipating his next question, I smiled at him. “And yes, there is a physical component to that loving that is . . . wonderful.”

This time my smile was at Chris and his hand met mine between our tin tubs. He continued on. “Some men can love both women and men. I experimented some when I was younger but once I met Sarah and married her, I never considered anyone else. Until I met Ezra and realized that my heart hadn’t frozen completely.”

“You’re going to be together, all the time?” JD was trying so hard not to look at Buck that it would have been comical if it wasn’t so heartbreaking.

“That’s the plan.” Chris said laconically. I was going to try and break him of that habit.

“How do you know if someone might be open to that?” JD was still not looking at Buck.

“Well, I just upped and kissed Ezra but I can’t quite recommend that since it scared him so bad that I almost lost him to the river.” Chris grinned at me and I chuckled.

“I think you could just ask him, JD. If he’s a friend and if he’s got a lot of experience with love then I can almost guarantee that he won’t hit you.” I shot a look a Buck and almost chuckled at the expressions that were flying across his face.

Hope. Despair. Yearning. Love. Fear. The entire range of emotions was there to be seen. JD was finally looking at his best friend with such a look of yearning that I almost gasped. “Buck? Do you think someone like . . . like yourself could . . . could ever love someone like . . . me?”

You could have heard a pin drop in the bathhouse and Chris squeezed my hand hard while we all waited for Buck’s answer.

“I think that someone like me would be very proud to love someone like you.” His blue eyes were so soft and his big hand met JD’s between the tubs in a grip almost as tight as ours. “In fact, I think I’ve been in love with you for a very long time now.”

“Really?” JD sniffed just a little and I was reminded how young he was. “It took me a little while to understand what I was feeling ‘cause I didn’t know that it would be okay. But I’ve been in love with you for a real long time, too.”

“Go slowly, gentlemen. Take the time to get to know each other in another way. I know that you’ll be real gentle with JD, Buck.” I warned them both. “Don’t rush into anything without care.”

“We won’t, Ez’.” Buck reassured me without taking his eyes off of JD. “How about we finish these baths and go get better acquainted, JD?”

JD blushed a little but nodded with a grin. “Want me to wash your back, Buck?”

And the blue gaze turned heated. “That would be a real kindness, JD. Then I’ll wash yours.”

Chris chuckled again and stood up, the water cascading down his body. “Boys, we’ll leave you to your washing. Ezra?”

I stood as well and draped the towel around my hips. “We’ll see you in the morning. Not too early, of course.”

Laughter followed Chris and I into the little alcove where we helped each other dry off all those hard to reach spots. Redressing was fun as well until the sound of splashing grew louder yet and we made our escape from what appeared to be a water fight. We dashed back to the saloon and went up the back stairs to my room. The key turned easily and we were soon safe behind locked doors.

I spared a thought for the newly coupled pair. I wished them the happiness that I now held in my arms; the pleasure that came from slowly stripping a lover; the love that warmed my heart and soul; the joy in exploring long limbs and tender flesh; the long pause after sliding deep into the body of your other half; the groans and gasps of fulfillment; the chanting of a beloved name when climax was near; and the heat of possession that encompassed both possessor and possessed. 

All of that was mine and more, I was the luckiest man in Four Corners.

“Ezra, if you don’t move, I swear I’m going to . . . to” Chris faltered when I started the long slide out before thrusting back in again. “Oh, there. Yes-s-s-s.”

I smiled and settled in to give him the hard pounding that he and I both desired. “Chris, I think that we need to add a bathroom to your house. Just think how nice it would be to have a bathtub big enough for both of us.”

“Yes. Whatever you want, Ezra. We can build it on later. Just keep on . . . oh yeah.” He went incoherent on me and I felt the burn begin to spread all throughout my body. His voice went deeper and my name was all he seemed able to say until with a last thrust that sent my seed deep within him, he came in my hand.

His arms gave out and we slid down onto my bed with me plastered to his back. I felt like never moving again but Chris seemed to be trying to say something so I rolled us to our sides so I wasn’t squishing him into the mattress.

“Ezra, if you’ll keep making love to me like that, I promise that I’ll build you the biggest, best bathroom in the state.” He brought my hand to his lips and began to lick his seed from my fingers.

“I promise to keep making love to you and I’ll help you build it.” I nuzzled the back of his neck and licked the clean sweat from behind his ear. “Of course, I’ll also need a proper kitchen.”

Chris chuckled and pulled my arms tighter around him. “We’ll build one of those too, Ezra. After all, I need to have something to keep you with me.”

I bit his ear. “The only thing I need is you, Chris Larabee. Just keep loving me and I’ll stay forever.”

“Promise?” The yearning note was all too familiar. 

“I promise with all my heart.”

***************


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They settle into their new relationships.

Chris  
*************** 

I watched him flirting with Mary and had to hide my amusement. She thinks he’s maybe interested in her but I know that he’s doing it for me. We have to be careful in public, real careful. So he found a way to flirt with me that won’t get us in trouble. Most of the time, Ezra is quietly genial to everyone.

But when he knows that I’m watching, and these days I’m always watching, he’ll be a little more flirty than usual. Mrs. Potter just flirts right back at him and Grandmother Hale enjoys it so much that she starts patting her hair when she sees him coming. But Mary hasn’t got a clue that it’s only in fun and that worries me a little. She’s an intelligent and beautiful woman who takes life much too seriously.

I’ve been accused of doing that myself so I recognize the signs.

She’s a good mother and a fine woman but she could be easily hurt by what she thinks is interest. I’d have to talk to Ezra about that. I noticed that he was leaving her side and coming on into the saloon so I sat up a little and concentrated on my whiskey. A tingle went through my whole body when I heard his voice speaking to Inez. That southern accent fell softly on my ears and I had to keep myself from smiling in pleasure.

I didn’t want to change overnight into the man that Buck remembered, before Sarah and Adam’s deaths. Ezra sat down beside me. “What’s wrong, Chris?”

He always knows when I’m thinking about them. “I was just thinking that I want to smile again but it would shock everybody if I did. Was I really so very grim and foreboding?”

“Yes.” He said with feeling and I raised my eyes to his. “I was afraid of you when we first met. Attracted but afraid of your uncompromising nature. I thought you saw the world in black and white but I was on the black side and could never cross over.”

“But I don’t see you that way.” I sat up straighter still and ached to touch him.

He smiled, warming me with his grin. “I know that now but back then, I was saddened by what could never be. I’m so glad that you proved me wrong. Now, go back to why you were thinking of Sarah and Adam.”

It shocked me to hear their names out loud. Had I really sunk so low that their names couldn’t even be spoken for fear of hurting me? “I . . . damn, this is hard.” I took a deep breath then another, slowly letting it out. “I remember thinking that Sarah’s voice always reminded me of singing. She used to sing while doing her housework or playing with Adam. When I hear your accent, it reminds me of a song I heard while fighting in the South. It was real late one night and both sides had hunkered down to try and sleep so we could go back to killing each other the next day.”

I paused to take a sip of whiskey and let myself look into his understanding eyes. He nodded to me, silently asking me to continue my story. “From over the battlefield, I heard a single voice singing a lullaby that later Sarah sang to Adam. Another voice joined in then another until it sounded like the entire army was singing themselves to sleep. Your voice reminds me of that sometimes.”

“Is it a good memory?” He asked with that little tilt of his head that told me he was thinking hard.

“Yeah, it is.” I let myself smile at him the way I wanted to so badly.

He blinked and sighed. “You’re so beautiful when you do that, Chris. I love to see you smiling. May we go out to your ranch tomorrow for a few days? I want you someplace where I can listen to you shout or sing, if you prefer.”

I caught my breath at the sideways glance from under those long black eyelashes of his. And once again, I was achingly hard at just the thought of him making love to me. “Not much of a singer like Nathan is but I expect that you can bring out my voice.”

“Oh, I plan to, my love.” His whisper almost made me come in my pants but Vin was joining us and I bit my lip instead.

His knowing grin should have dampened my reaction but instead it made me want to blush. He sipped his whiskey and split his glance between the two of us. “I thought I’d ride out to spend some time with Chanu. You guys planning on going out to your place?”

“Mr. Tanner, have you taken up reading minds?” Ezra twinkled at him.

“I’m a tracker, Ezra. And you are definitely huntin’ ol’ Chris here.” He chuckled along with my lover and I just had to join in. Vin’s glance was astonished. “Sounds good, Cowboy, you should do that more often.”

“We’re working on that, Mr. Tanner.” Ezra smiled at me. “When did you want to start?”

“Dawn be okay?” He said solemnly.

“What is it about that obscene time of day that is so welcome to you outdoor types?” Ezra said in exasperation.

Vin and I both chuckled but I answered. “The sooner the day starts, Ezra, the sooner we get to go to bed.”

That green gaze caught and held mine, the fire in them thawing a little more of the ice around my heart. “What a pleasant notion, Chris, I believe that I may have to change my mine about early rising. Why, I might have to go to bed right after dinner.”

I took a hasty gulp of my whiskey while Vin laughed so hard that he couldn’t talk. Josiah joined us at that moment, sitting next to Ezra with a pleased smile. “Gentlemen, I believe that the day is looking up. What has Vin so cheerful?”

Ezra smiled at him and I fought back a flicker of jealousy that always hit me when he did that. Josiah had had my Ezra’s smile from almost the beginning and I could see that if I hadn’t awakened to what I was feeling, I might have lost him before I’d ever had him. And that was the most horrible thought that I’d ever had.

I came back to the conversation in time to hear Ezra tell Josiah our little joke. The big man chuckled and patted my lover’s arm. “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Ezra smiled and nodded. “Benjamin Franklin. I wonder if he had as good a reason as I have?”

Those green eyes were looking at me again and I wanted to hold them forever. “Maybe we should all try it out tonight?”

The whole table broke into laughter.

*****

My saddlebags were full of things that we’d need at my place and I noticed that Ezra’s bags were, too. But when Vin’s looked like they were bulging at the seams, I wondered what was going on. We were silent on the ride out but that was mostly because Ezra was still half-asleep. I’d kept him up later than usual. For some reason, I had had to stake my claim to him all over again.

Watching him ride along with his eyes half-closed, the reins held loosely in one of those beautiful hands of his, I ached to hold him again. Maybe I was crazy but I’d only felt this way once before and that was with Sarah. I thought I’d frozen out those soft emotions but Ezra had brought them all out of somewhere deep inside my heart.

“Cowboy, you going to get down or just sit there moonin’ over Ezra?” Vin’s voice woke me up from my contemplation of the man I loved.

We were in front of the shack I called home and Vin was handing over his full saddlebags to my grinning lover. Ezra disappeared inside with both sets and I looked at Vin with a question in my gaze. “What was that?”

“Near as I can tell, Ezra plans on feedin’ you real well. I expect to find you ‘bout ten pounds heavier by Tuesday.” Vin chuckled. “Don’t eat too much without some exercise to burn away the fat.”

“Ha . . . ha.” I grimaced at him and took Chaucer’s reins to lead him to the corral. “Have a good trip, Vin.”

He grinned again before riding on. “I’m planning on it, Cowboy.”

I unsaddled both horses and made sure that the oats were topped off and the water bin was full before taking the saddles into the lean-to. Grabbing my saddlebags, I hurried in to find Ezra. Right before I got to the front door, a cloud of dust shot out and I heard Ezra swearing quietly.

“Um, Ezra?” I poked my head around the doorway and found the two chairs on top of the table, the firewood basket on top of them and the mattress rolled up on top of the bed.

“Oh good, Chris, help me carry out the mattress to air.” He swept out more dust then laid the broom aside. “And for heaven’s sake don’t track in more dirt.”

I nodded and helped him take out the mattress to the front porch to hang over the railing and the bench so it didn’t touch the ground. It looked like spring-cleaning had arrived a little early. For the next two hours, we pumped water, scrubbed the table and chairs, hung all the bedding out to air and washed the floor. 

In between our endeavors, I watched Ezra begin to get our dinner ready. By the time I threw out the last bucket of dirty water, the smells of roast chicken filled the whole place. Something was bubbling over the fire and Ezra’s teapot was steaming on the table.

“Wash up, Chris. It looks like you transferred most of the dust to your person.” Ezra handed me a wet, warm cloth to wash with and his smile made all the work worth it. “I think we may need a bath later so I’ll just put more water on to heat. Did someone mention ordering a cook stove?”

I ran the washcloth over my head and neck, thinking about a nice hot bath. “A cook stove?”

“Hm-m-m, I see the kitchen and bathroom has slipped your mind.” He pursed his lips and I went hard in about a heartbeat. Just thinking of those lips somewhere else had me tingling all over.

And I finally remembered what I’d promised him a week ago. “Are we going to start building this weekend?”

He smiled and pumped more water into the three-gallon iron pot. “Perhaps, Chris, we should look into drawing up some plans? I spoke with Mrs. Potter and she said that the six-burner Majestic could be ordered in Sarney from their farrier. It will take about four weeks to arrive.”

I went hot, then cold, then hot again. Did he mean what I thought he meant? “Ezra? That mean that you’d be willing to come out here to live with me?”

Turning to me after lifting the pot onto the hook and swinging it over the fire, he smiled that shy smile that reminded me that he was still a bit skittish of me. “It would appear so, Chris. I know I haven’t been formally asked but I can see that you need someone here to keep the place tidy.”

I pulled him into my arms and kissed him until we were both breathless. “I don’t need a housekeeper, Ezra, but I surely need you.”

He brushed soft caresses over my face with that sweet smile of his. “Then you have me, Chris. I think I’ll have Mrs. Potter order our stove when we get back to town. The sooner I move out here, the sooner Mrs. Travis will see that I am not interested in her. She seems to think that we have more than a friendship.”

It seemed he didn’t realize how his flirting might appear to her. How to tell him that his charming manners were signaling something other than friendship? “Ezra, I don’t think you realize just how potent your charm is. You know that ‘animal magnetism’ that Buck is always talking about?” I waited for his nod. “You’ve got it in spades, Ez’. Without you even trying, you just attract women like honey does flies.”

He frowned up at me. “What are you talking about, Chris? I’m just being polite to her. I only flirt with our more senior ladies to remind them of their youth.”

I blinked. He really didn’t know what he was doing to the ladies. “Ezra, I guess you’re just going to have to take my word for it. Buck flirts with all the ladies but you’re the one who they sigh after. Good manners are hard to find out here in the west and yours are just like gold.”

“Well, goodness.” He seemed flustered. “I hadn’t realized that I was so . . . so potent.”

Pulling him closer, I whispered in his ear. “You are the most beautiful . . . charming . . . wonderful man in the whole world.”

He blushed from his neck all the way up to the tips of his ears. “Chris, it seems the dust has addled your brains. Perhaps dinner will bring you to your senses.” He pulled away from me and went to the fire to stir the smaller pot.

I smiled at him and went to wash up. Maybe I’d be able to convince him a little later. Dinner was delicious and I was definitely going to fatten up if I wasn’t careful. There wasn’t much left on the table when we were done but Ezra bustled around making sure everything was wrapped and placed on the shelf in the well to stay cool while I washed the dishes.

Ezra hummed while he worked and I felt that sore spot in my heart again, the memory of Sarah still bittersweet. But when I looked up from washing the last cup, there he was in his shirtsleeves, looking so beautiful that I had to catch my breath. His glance told me that he’d caught my reaction and he dimpled up at me while taking the cup and drying it.

“Bath time, Chris.” He laid the towel aside and went to the fire to test the temperature of the kettle of water.

I quickly started unbuttoning my shirt, all the time watching his slow stripping away of the many layers that he wore. His jacket was all ready off and his shirt rolled up but when the fine linen was finally shed and his beautiful chest came into view, I had to catch my breath. I don’t know what it is he does to keep himself fit but there was nothing but muscle underneath the layers of cloth.

“Damn, we forgot to bring the mattress back in.” Ezra stopped short and sped out to the porch. Chuckling, I followed him and helped him carry it back in to place on the ropes strung between the side slats of the bed. “Chris, we need a new bed, too. This instrument of torture resembles one of those ancient devices from a Medieval dungeon.”

I unrolled the thin mattress while he pulled out a new set of sheets for our bed. “Ezra?”

“Well, I wanted to contribute more than just food to your home.” He dropped his eyes and tucked the corners in with precise movements.

“Our home.” I didn’t do as good a job as he did but then I figured that we were just going to mess them up in a few minutes anyway.

Those big green eyes met mine and his dimple flashed me. “Ours.”

Bath time was fun while we washed each other’s back and all points south. I was hard and aching by the time Ezra finished toweling me dry. He led me back to the bed and followed me down to the soft sheets. His mouth moving slowly down my body, he licked and tormented me until I was leaking, before taking me in and sucking gently. I let him have all of me and he loved me everywhere.

I heard him chuckle and the sound of a jar being opened. Smiling, I wiggled into a more comfortable position and splayed my legs wider so he could come between them while I tried to pry open my eyes so I could watch him. But the feeling of two fingers opening me up for him had me panting and moving restlessly. And with a whisper of my name, Ezra pressed against my spasming hole and inside.

That’s always a shock since he’s nice and big. He paused to let me adjust and I finally got my eyes open so I could see him. His gaze was soft on my face and his hands slid across my stomach with soothing caresses that helped me relax around his bulk. He always knew when the time was right to move again and I nodded to let him know that I was okay.

Better than okay, I was filled with him everywhere. His satin skin moved against mine in silken touches that warmed me more than any fire ever could. The scents of lavender and Ezra were a powerful aphrodisiac. He was a feast to my eyes, the little dark curl of hair falling on his forehead while his gaze gleamed into mine. I was burning alive and my moans were in counterpoint to each thrust of his cock almost drowning out the sound of his balls slapping my ass.

The only thing missing was taste and I licked my lips to recapture the salty taste of him. He moaned a little so I did it again, watching his eyes begin to glow. It was time to start touching myself because he was close. I fisted my cock slowly and felt the ache deep inside of me start to grow. He was a master at winding me up tighter and tighter until I just had to come for him.

And we were both close. I wrapped my legs a little tighter around his waist and he smiled that little smile that said ‘I have a secret’. Someday, maybe us loving each other wouldn’t have to be kept quiet but for now I was content to show him my love and know it was returned. We were lucky men to have found each other. My temp shot up about two hundred degrees and my cock went rock hard, right before shooting out a string of come all over my chest.

Ezra bit his lip and managed one more thrust before flooding me with his red-hot seed. I loved feeling it race through my body, going where not even his big cock could reach. For a moment, I wondered if this was what Sarah had felt when we made love? I could almost hear her laughter and the way she said ‘Silly Chris’ before I caught an armful of lover.

He shook a little and I cradled him close before rolling us to our sides. “I’ve got you, Ezra.”

With a breathless chuckle, he nuzzled my lips before gently kissing me. “You certainly do, Chris. Have me, that is.”

“Forever, Ezra. Not just now but always.” I said firmly after his lips left mine. Our eyes met and I saw the wonder that he still felt at my declaration. It would take time but eventually he’d believe me. “We’ll order the tub and the stove when we go to town. I want you out here all the time.”

“You’re sure, Chris?” He smoothed his hands down my sweaty back. 

“Very . . . very . . . sure,” I nipped little kisses over his face and watched him smile.

“Then we’ll draw up some plans over the next two days and scout out where the septic field needs to be. I have the book that Sir Thomas Crapper wrote about flush toilets and with a little ingenuity, I think we can get it to work.” 

I love watching him plan and by the time he’d finally eased from my ass, he’d built three more rooms onto the house, diverted water from the stream and debated whether or not a hot water heater might be practical. I could see that there was a lot of work ahead of us. But it would be us doing the work, building a home for not just us but Vin as well. That’s when he told me that Vin and Chanu were together.

How the hell had I missed that? I shook my head in wonder. “You sure, Ezra?”

His eyes crinkled and he dropped a kiss on my nose. “Quite sure, love. Vin was there for him after the debacle with the supposed man of god. The tribe doesn’t see male bonding as the sin that our society does so the two of them will be quite safe. And with him moving out with us, we’ll provide cover for each other. Are you all right with that?”

“Hell, yes!” I kissed him hard and rolled him beneath me. “He and Buck are the two brothers that I always wanted.”

“We may want to claim more land around us to provide room for our expanding family.” Ezra’s foot was rubbing over my calf and I could feel my cock get interested again. “It would be nice to have all of the seven nearby.”

“Later, Ezra. Right now I see something I need to nibble on.” I nipped the soft spot under his chin and felt him shiver all the way down to his toes. We were going to be worn out husks by the time Vin rode back to join us.

I could hardly wait.

*****************


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They begin to build a home of their own.

Ezra  
****************** 

With a sigh, I set the wheelbarrow full of bricks down in the shadow of the wall of our new home. My arms felt like rubber and my legs ached but I smiled in satisfaction at the progress we’d made in the month of good weather with which we’d been blessed. The main rooms in the center of the axis, that would be our home were completed and even had a roof and tiled floor. But we still had the two wings to add on.

Our laborers were a family of adobe bricklayers whom we had hired from south of Las Cruces. Senor Rodrigues and his three sons were masters of the craft of making the clay bricks that were the walls of our new house. We had spent the last month preparing the site while they crafted the bricks in their wooden forms. Once dried, they had baked them in the sun for almost two weeks before decreeing them ready for building.

It took a great many bricks to make even the modest home that Chris and I had drawn. Vin had suggested an adobe structure and I’d almost dismissed it out of hand but something in his voice had kept me silent. He took us almost a day’s ride south to a small community where half the houses were frame and half adobe. An Army captain who’d scouted with him had one of the adobes and I was struck at the way it grew from the soil and sheltered his family.

The interior was cooler in the heat of the day and the thick walls provided impressive sound control. His wife was of Spanish descent and she was quite vociferous about the advantages of tile floors with men and children in the household. Their furniture was an eclectic mixture of their two cultures but charming in its simplicity. I felt a sense of freedom there and I vowed to bring that same feeling into our home.

Perhaps it was time to let go of some of my old preconceptions, I had thought. Chris was willing to build whatever I desired and that wholehearted acceptance made me realize that I really had changed. I’d won the last best bet of all when I let Chris love me and gave him my love in return.

“Looks good, Ezra.” Vin had come up behind me while I contemplated the double-wide opening that would soon hold our front doors. “I brought the stove out.”

I smiled in relief. “Thank goodness, I was getting a little tired of cooking over an open fire. The kitchen is ready for it. We can move the kitchen table over here and the pots.”

“Whoa, Ez’!” Vin broke into my mutterings. “We’ve got to carry it in and get it vented before you can fire her up.”

I chuckled and acquiesced. “Indeed, I am getting ahead of myself again. How heavy is it? How many did it take to load it?”

“Three of us but one was Josiah so we’ll probably need four.” He was favoring his side a little and I worried that he might have strained a muscle.

“Jose and his boys will soon have it out and in. Would you mind carrying in the vent pipes while I summon them?” I didn’t give him a chance to demur, calling for Jose to come and see the new delivery.

He and his sons appeared from the side where they were building up the first layer of bricks for what would soon be our bedroom. I promised them a wonderful meal if they would help install my stove. They seemed to like my cooking so they immediately set to and carried it in through the outer room, dining room and into the kitchen. We’d already tiled the wall behind where the stove was to set.

Miguel, Jose’s oldest son, proved a deft hand at connecting the vent pipe to stove, then the hole already cut for it. Excitedly, I sent Rafe, the next eldest, for some firewood from our ever-growing woodpile. I could hardly wait to start a fire in her and began to think ahead. With six burners at my disposal, I was already planning a feast.

Vin had disappeared and I pumped water from the new well into the sink so I could fill the hopper on the stove. Having hot water for cleaning right in the kitchen was such a luxury that I couldn’t contain my glee. I wished that Chris were here so I could show him. But we’d had to split up to continue the work both in town and here at home. Only one day a week saw us together and that was another two days away.

I sighed and forced my attention back to making sure that the flue on the stove was properly drawing. The sight of a roaring fire within was a good sign and I thanked Rafe for bringing in more wood. I’d keep it fed through out the next 24 hours to season the iron and test the weld joints. Majestic had a good reputation for a fine product but I would rather be safe than sorry.

“Hey, Ez’, I brought in four rabbits. You cookin’ tonight?” Vin was back and I nodded with a faint smile. He liked my cooking and often brought me game to cook. “Great, I already skinned them over at the house. I can watch here if you want to go ahead and start ‘em cookin’.”

I chuckled at his eager offer. “Hungry, are you? Very well, Vin, add more wood a little at a time and watch the joints to make sure that nothing cracks. Give me an hour and then I’ll ring the bell for dinner. I think I have some onions left.”

“Brought the grocery order so you’ve got beans too.” He grinned at me and I rolled my eyes at the thought of the ever-present staple.

“Of course I do.” I left him and walked across the sun-baked earth to the small shack that would soon be nothing but a memory. I had some fond thoughts of the place where first Chris and I loved but our new home would be much better. It would be more private, cleaner and definitely more comfortable. Walking in through the front door that Vin had left open, I shook my head and wondered why he could never seem to close a door.

“Finally.” Strong arms came around me and a familiar hard body hugged me from behind while the door slammed shut behind us. “Thought you’d never come.”

“Chris?” I turned in his arms and slid mine around his trim waist. Our lips met for our first kiss in four days and I relaxed muscles that I hadn’t even realized were tense. He was all I could think of and all I could feel. It had been much too long without his touch. 

“Damn, Ezra, four days away from you is too damn long.” His lips slid over my jaw, down my throat to the hollow that was so sensitive. “Not even my hand can bring me satisfaction any more. I need to see you and smell you.”

I moaned a little at the wonderful sensation of his breath on my skin. “Yes . . . oh there, Chris . . . right there.”

And he sucked gently at the hollow while my cock began to harden in anticipation. My hands rubbed his lower back and he bucked just a little into me. “God, Ezra. I need you inside of me.”

Shivering, I claimed his mouth again, my hands sliding in the back of his black pants. He wasn’t wearing any underwear and his skin was hot to my touch. We both groaned at the same moment and I wanted nothing more than to take him to bed right then and there. But we had hungry workers to feed and the sooner I fixed dinner, the sooner we could shoo them to their campsite and go to bed.

“Chris, dinner. I’ve got to make dinner.” I tried to get some distance between us but his grip was too firm. “Vin said he brought rabbits. Oh, that’s good.”

His tongue slid up under my ear and I tilted my head to give him better access. “Know that, Ezra, but just so you know . . . we’re going to bed early tonight.”

“We are indeed, my love.” I sighed and he finally let loose with a look of need in his eyes that I know was mirrored in mine. “But for now, I shall put you to work so we can eat all the sooner.”

He nodded and we began to get supper ready. Beans, onions, carrots and rabbit stew was the quickest and I soon had it hung over the fire. Inez had baked bread and Chris had brought four loaves with him. Baking needed a stove so it had been a month since I’d baked any. I stopped and grinned at him from across the table.

“I can bake now. The stove should be ready tomorrow.” Then a terrible thought struck me. “You don’t have to go right back, do you?”

He shook his head with that little half-smile that still intrigued me. “Nope, the others told me that I was such piss poor company that I’d better just get out of town for a while.”

Chuckling, I found the block of cheese that he’d brought and decided on garlic-cheese bread. With a little rosemary, it would go well with the wild hare. The grater hung above the fireplace and I put Chris to work grating enough cheese for seven hungry men. He told me that there was beer cooling in the well and I agreed that it would go with the stew.

It was very much a rough hewn meal but satisfying in its own way. Much more important than the menu was the man who’d be sharing it with me. Looking at him, my fingers ached to brush that blond curl from his temple and my lips yearned to explore the bristly cheek.

“I know, I know, I need to shave again.” His eyes caught mine and he read my mind with facile ease. “Plan to make sure I don’t mark that beautiful skin of yours.

I blushed at his heated look and hugged the compliment to me. He thought I had nice skin, I thought in amazement. He could still make me stop in my tracks with such a statement. I was beginning to believe in a future . . . our future. And that was a frightening and exhilarating mix of feeling for me.

But he always knew when I began to panic and found a way to calm me. I’d watched him use some of the same techniques on Pony and been a bit miffed that they’d work on humans, too. However, I soon realized that I’d except whatever he did so long as he kept loving me. I’d fallen low indeed but could not bring myself to care. I loved him more each day and gave myself into his keeping with, if not a light heart, at least a committed one.

While I mused on our relationship, I kept on preparing our supper. The rabbit stew was moved to one side so it would stop boiling and instead simmer to perfection. Another few moments and I’d throw in some rosemary and basil to season it. I used the tin cookie sheets to hold the slices of bread, thickly buttered with the squeezed garlic and salt mixture that I’d found most effective.

“Chris, while you’re shaving, I’m going to take this over to the house and bake them in the new stove.” I told him and he grinned.

“Sure, Ezra, I’ll be ready for you when you come back.” His heated look warmed me through and through. “Better yet, send Vin over and we’ll carry the table to the new dining room. That way there won’t be any reason for the others to come back here.”

I felt the little frisson curl in my stomach that always accompanied that tone of voice. “I think that’s a very good idea, Chris. I’ll take the stew with me, too. I’d hate to be . . . interrupted while we were catching up on all the news.”

Those beautiful hazel eyes turned almost the same green as my own while his lazy smile turned predatory. “Yeah, there’s a lot of exciting things to . . . talk about.”

I chuckled and doubled the hot pad in my hand to carry the iron kettle over with me. Vin was getting a lesson in bricklaying while checking on the stove every few moments. I set the stew on a back burner and the cookie sheets on the side four. The fire was nice and even so I raked it and added two more sticks. Checking the hopper, I found the water steaming and I grinned in thanksgiving.

Everything was working properly and I could see that my new kitchen was going to be wonderful. Crossing to the tin sink and counter, I sighed a little. Porcelain would be much nicer but for now this would do. I’d saved up for a real bathtub and that was more important. Pumping gently, I was rewarded with a gush of cool well water. I filled the coffeepot and plucked the coffee canister from the shelf above the sink.

The Rodrigues’ were fond of coffee hot and black, the way that Chris and Vin also enjoyed it. Now that I didn’t have to conceal my tea drinking, I could finally admit that I hated the bitter brew that they all loved. I threw in the requisite amount of ground beans before taking the teakettle to the sink and filling it for my tea. They both went on the stove and I felt like caressing the hot iron but saved my fingers for Chris instead.

We’d be touching tonight. I loved running my hands over his body, all sinew and skin stretched taut over long, lean muscle. I would never, ever take that beauty for granted. My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the table. Vin was laughing at something Chris said and I enjoyed the sound that filled the room. That’s what I wanted for this house, laughter and joy.

Their voices disappeared and I surmised that the chairs would soon arrive. We only had four but the long bench from the old porch would fill a side even if three of us would be a bit squished together. As long as Chris was plastered against part of me, I could really care less. I gave the stew a stir and a quick taste - almost ready. I started to head for the house to grab the plates and utensils, along with my spice jars when I was stopped in the dining room.

“Whoa, Ezra, I think we’ve got everything. It’s a good thing we got those shelves up in here.” Chris handed me a box filled with things from his old kitchen. “You point and I’ll shelve.”

Vin was right behind him with another box and the next few moments were rather chaotic but satisfying. We didn’t have pretty dishes but practical tinware. Still, it was nice to see my spices ranged on the top shelf, the dishes on the next along with the ebony box that held the silverware. Glasses and cups went next along with my tempered glass pie plates. The bottom shelves held all the tins of foodstuffs that we tried to keep from the mice.

Checking the stew once again, I called to the others to come and eat.

******* 

Rafe and Jimenez, the youngest Rodrigues, washed the dishes and put everything neatly away while I checked the stove one last time. Vin had already headed back to town with my fervent thanks, both for the stove and the grocery order. I didn’t want Chris or I to have to leave the little shack for a good long time. My lover and Jose had discussed the timetable for finishing the wing that would house our bedrooms but more importantly, the bathroom.

We were still looking for a bathtub that met my requirements. I wanted one that would hold both of us. Mr. Brewster was studying the plumbing book that I’d found in a used bookstore in Albuquerque and he assured us that he could create what we wanted. We would eventually have a working bathroom but at the moment it seemed very far away.

Chris had walked over to the shack a little earlier and I checked everything twice before leaving the kitchen and saying goodnight to our workers. There was still daylight left so they were continuing to work. The outer walls were up and I could hardly wait to see the last interior one finished. The roof would go on quickly and be sealed within another day and a half. Then the floor and . . .

I was getting ahead of myself again, I thought with an inner chuckle. 

My body was singing to itself while I crossed the sun baked earth to the small shack that was my home, or rather the man who was my other self.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving Day.

Chris  
**************** 

The place was a battlefield. Ezra was the general and the rest of us were his soldiers. Buck and JD were helping Vin get his belongings settled into his room and putting together his new bed. Josiah and Nathan were working on the plumbing in the new bathroom where the brand new bathtub was going in. I was setting up my old bed in the guestroom after assembling the new bed for our room.

Ezra was cooking up a storm and singing away in the kitchen.

It was chaos but I was enjoying it just the same. After the longest emotional drought on record, I had friends and a lover again. Not to mention, I had a new home filled with those same friends and all the love in the world. I was the luckiest man alive and I found myself humming along with the song that Ezra was singing. I didn’t recognize it but it had a lilting melody that made it easy to hum along.

Nathan knew it though and from the bathroom his rich voice joined in while Josiah’s rumbling bass hummed like me. JD’s light tenor joined in and it sounded like a heavenly choir. Tucking in the last corner of the sheet, I looked around to make sure the room was done. A painting was propped by the door and I wondered where Ezra wanted it hung.

“Ez’, you want this picture over the bed?” I called out and my lover appeared instantly.

“No, I think over the dresser would be appropriate. That way a guest can look at it and try to ignore the horrible mattress.” He dimpled up at me and I just had to pull him into my arms and steal a kiss. He’d been taste-testing a new recipe and the hint of sage seemed to spice up our kiss. He chuckled in the middle of it and pulled back just far enough to look at me. “Unhand me, Sir. Our feast awaits.”

“As soon as everybody leaves, we’ll take a bath in our new tub and go straight to bed.” I told him and he chuckled again before standing on tiptoe and brushing a hasty kiss over my lips.

“You have a deal, Mr. Larabee. You’d best see though if the plumbers need any help or we’ll have no water for our bath.” He sauntered back to the kitchen, singing as he went and it was my turn to chuckle.

I hammered in a nail about three feet above the dresser and hung the painting of a street scene in New Orleans. Ezra told me that he’d spent many a happy hour in the Old Quarter as the natives called it. One of the signs on the street read ‘Boynton’s Rare Books’ and he’d smiled fondly at it. I’d have to pay closer attention to those little clues about his past if I wanted to know how to make him happy.

Satisfied that it was hanging straight, I headed for the bathroom. At the doorway, I stopped short then tiptoed quietly away. Josiah must have banged his knuckles because Nathan had his hand between both of his, kissing it better. I’d known in my head that they were now partners in all ways but seeing the loving gesture and the soft look in Josiah’s eyes reminded me just how lucky I was that I’d gotten to Ezra first.

I still had a twinge of jealousy or two when I saw him with Josiah, all relaxed and smiling. Heading for my lover stirring something savory on the stove, I slid my arms around him and kissed that spot under his ear that always made him moan. Today was no exception and I licked the hot spot while he relaxed against me. I was hard in about two seconds and when he pressed back against my cock, I almost lost it completely.

“Hey, no molesting the cook, Chris.” Buck’s voice tried for severity but the bubble of laughter came through loud and clear.

Ezra cast a flirty emerald glance at our friend. “Speak for yourself, Bucklin. This cook likes being molested by certain special customers.”

JD laughed at us and slid an arm around Buck. “We’re pretty darn lucky that you cook for us too, Ezra. But how about we just say ‘thank you’?”

My lover laughed and nodded. “That will be quite sufficient, JD. Now, if the two of you would set the table, dinner is almost ready.”

Dinner was so good that nobody said a word for a good five minutes, just kept on eating. I don’t know what the sauce was but it went with the beef perfectly. Small red potatoes just about melted in your mouth while the green beans tasted tart and spicy. Every once in a while, one of the seven would tell Ezra how good something tasted and he’d dimple at them. But just when we thought we couldn’t eat anymore, he brought out dessert.

It was the most beautiful chocolate cake I’d ever seen. Glistening cherries nestled in the creamy brown icing and sent a sigh around the table. Ezra laughed at us while he cut into the eight-inch high cake. Little moans raced through the dining room as the first bites melted on our tongues. Vin and JD had a pair of synchronized groans that made the rest of us laugh out loud. I had to admit though that I’d never tasted anything like it.

We finished it down to the last, moist crumb and sat back so full that we didn’t want to move. Our conversation was the kind that often existed between friends. We talked about the patrol schedule that we’d cut back as the town settled down. Weekends were still pretty lively but the rest of the time the people of the town took care of the problems themselves. We began to talk about the future and what we would do when the town no longer needed full time peacekeepers.

Buck was already getting a reputation as a woodcarver while Josiah made furniture that people were willing to spend money on. Nathan ran the clinic but was already looking ahead to the time when a licensed doctor moved in. He and Josiah wanted to build a house for themselves with enough ground so Nathan could grow an herb garden. He figured that he could be an apothecary and supplement the doctor’s business.

JD was settling in as sheriff and he wanted a place where he and Buck could live together but have enough room for a workshop. I wanted to raise cattle and do a little horse breeding if Vin would help. Ezra had the deed back to the saloon and he mentioned that he was looking forward to turning part of it into a restaurant where he could try out his recipes.

We unanimously voted for that one. 

Finally, we had enough energy to move. Buck and JD did the dishes while Vin and Ezra finished emptying the wagon of his belongings. I helped the plumbers and got the satisfaction of turning the handle and watching the cold water flow out. I could hardly wait to get Ezra wet and soapy. Laughter and conversation resounded between the walls of our home and I couldn’t help smiling.

“That looks good on you, Chris.” Josiah patted my shoulder and I chuckled.

“It feels good too, Josiah. Ezra fills up all the empty spaces in my heart.” I admitted.

“You’ve given him a home, Chris, and freed his laughter. That’s a pretty big gift.” Nathan smiled. “I think we’re all doing pretty well.”

“We are indeed, my friend.” Josiah smiled at his lover.

“I think we’d better be on our way unless we want to test that uncomfortable mattress that Ezra talked about.” Nathan teased him and I laughed.

“Trust me, my friends, you do not want to test that bed. I’m saving it for Maude if she ever shows up again.” I tried but it was hard to think kindly of the woman who’d made my Ezra hurt so badly.

They laughed and we joined the others in the outer room. Vin was headed out to the Indian encampment and he had a pan full of brownies for Chanu and his friends. The Indian had been to the house twice and seemed to be slowly warming up to the idea of maybe staying overnight once in a while. Vin would never be completely comfortable with living civilized so the best we could do was keep a space that was his alone and keep reminding him he had a home with us if he needed one.

“Chris, what are you thinking?” Ezra’s arms slid around my waist and I realized that the rest of them had gone.

“How nice the silence is.” I kissed him slowly. “How nice it is to have such good friends.” Another kiss. “How good dinner was.” I slid my hands into the back of his pants. “How much I love you.”

He pressed against me. “We are very, very lucky, Chris. I love you, too.”

“Bath time, Ezra. Then we need to go to bed.” I pulled him into the house and shut the door after him. We’d been camping in the house but now we were really home.

Ezra smiled dreamily and rested his head on my shoulder. “We did it, Chris. We planned, built and moved into our first home. How wonderful it is to be alone with you.”

I chuckled. “Part of me thought we’d never get this far. I’m sure glad that we did.”

“Yes, indeed. I must admit to having some doubts, that I would ever experience such a strong relationship.” Ezra turned his head just a little and kissed my throat with his soft lips. “But your bravery made my dearest wish come true.”

Hugging him even tighter, I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Maybe, Ezra. But you were just as brave to take a chance on me.”

“Following your heart can be frightening, Chris.” He smiled up at me. “But this bliss is worth all the pain that came before. Now, Sir, unhand me so we can christen our new tub.”

Chuckling, I let him go reluctantly and headed for the kitchen stove where our largest pot held steaming water. Meeting Ezra in the bathroom, I watched him pour hot water from the cast iron kettle that stayed on the stove in our bedroom. I poured in mine and let him turn on the cold water. His smile was worth all the work of digging and laying pipe that led to our current bathroom. 

We had one more stove in Vin’s room and I hurried to grab the pot from there to finish off our hot water. When I got back, Ezra was down to his pants and it was all I could do to keep pouring the hot water instead of molesting his tempting body. But he knew what I was thinking and laughed at me while slowly unbuttoning his pants. I held my breath at the sexy little wiggle he gave when he slid them down his legs.

“I see that you require some aid, Chris. I’d be more than happy to help you with those pesky buttons, my love.” His accent was exaggerated and I felt it melt over me like honey. 

I’m not sure how he did it but in no time at all he had me stripped to bare skin and into the steaming water. But he was right there with me and his soapy hands were hardening me almost into release. It was time for teasing and tasting and we took our time. He’s so beautiful when he’s wet that he always makes me catch my breath. Today was no exception and I couldn’t seem to touch him enough to feed my need.

“Bed . . . Chris . . . oh there.” His little whimper when I tongued his nipple hardened me to steel. “Now. Before I come right here.”

“Now it is, lover.” I surged up and brought him with me. We dried each other as we staggered into our bedroom, too intent on touching to take the time to do it right. But the sheets would finish the job I decided in little fragments of thought that were all that was left to me.

There was only Ezra; his satin smooth skin; his warm scent filling the air around us; the spicy taste of his mouth; the look of longing and need that filled his eyes; the sound of his little whimper when my oiled fingers slid deep inside of him. Then I was sliding home into the tightest place I’d ever been, his legs wrapped around my waist and his arms urging me closer.

“Ezra.” I quivered at the feeling of being gripped by his inner muscles. “God, you feel good.”

“Yes-s-s,” his sigh was long and those big green eyes of his were so sultry that they almost made me come right then and there. “Move, Chris, remind me that we’re one heart again.”

“One heart,” I braced my arms on either side of him and began the slow pull out. Thrusting back in, I hit his sweet spot and he arched beneath me. “One body,” my rhythm matched his and we moved together as if we’d always loved like this. “One soul,” I drank his moan from those sweet lips of his and began to speed up my strokes.

“Chris,” he moaned and squeezed his legs tighter around my middle. “Love . . . you so much. Oh god, there . . . right there.”

I targeted that small spot that made us both groan and watched the flush bloom all over his body. It would be soon then for I was feeling the burn myself. Nothing feels as good as us moving together. The sound of my balls slapping his cheeks just added to the wonderful moans and groans. We didn’t have to be careful here. No one could hear us except the prairie dogs outside.

“Sweet Ezra,” I gently bit his left nipple and listened to him gasp. “Scream for me, lover. No one can hear us.”

“Chris!” As if that was what he’d been waiting for, he arched his back and came hard between us. The rippling muscles milked my own climax from me and I shuddered through every spurt of hot seed into his depths.

I collapsed on his chest and his arms came up around me to hug me closer. Feeling the sweat slick skin of his shoulder beneath my cheek, I swiped my tongue over it in a little caress with all the energy I had left. His heart was beginning to slow and so was mine while we lay in the wrinkled sheets.

“We’re home.” His accent was stronger now and I raised my head so I could see him better. Those beautiful green eyes of his met mine and the wonder in them made me want to cry.

“We’re home.” I agreed. “And one of these days, we’ll have a working ranch here and you’ll have a famous restaurant in town. I’ll raise the beef and you can cook it for those travelers who will come from all over the West just to taste your cooking.”

His eyes crinkled into a smile and his chuckle was music to my ears. “Indeed, Chris, we shall be famous for all our accomplishments. The others as well will show their talents for a discerning audience. But for now, I think I would like to cuddle my handsome lover close and hold him for a while.”

“What a good idea, Ezra Standish.” I rolled us to our sides and came out of him with a pop. Reaching for a towel on the night stand, I cleaned us and threw it back. Ezra pulled up the sheet and we settled in together for a little nap. “In a while we’ll arise and finish those little projects that didn’t get done.”

“Yes,” he murmured sleepily, “lots still to do. Love you, Chris.”

“I love you too, Ezra.” I cuddled him close. “And I always will.”

His lips grazed my throat and that little purr that he sometimes gave me came to my ears. After long years of despair, I finally had a home and a lover again. This time I would hold him close and never let him go. Together we’d build a future for ourselves and the family of seven we’d chosen as brothers.

A future built on love, I thought with a yawn, the best kind of future of all.

*****************


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Spirit of Christmas touches the Seven.

********* Ezra ********* 

Two days until Christmas, I mused while rubbing the chicken with coarse sea salt after first peeling off the skin. The oven was at the right temperature and I’d be sliding our dinner in shortly. Inez was kneading the second rise out of our bread and six pies were cooling on the side counter. We worked well together and the saloon would be closed tonight for our family celebration. I was sure to include her within that parameter when we began making these plans.

The sage dressing was milder than what I usually made but it was an experiment to see what the others thought. Inez was humming something under her breath, her face smiling down at the creamy dough she was kneading with flour covered hands. I loved my home kitchen but the good memories here were rather nostalgic and I found myself smiling at the plump chicken and its sisters that were already nestled in the broad pan. I hoped that six would be enough for our brood.

“Senor Ezra, the bread is ready. What have we forgotten?” Inez set the eight loaves carefully into the oven at one side so there was room for the chicken. Barely.

“It wouldn’t be dinner if we don’t have beans.” I grimaced and she laughed at me. “Fine, you can make them then.”

“Already started,” she brought out a three gallon pot filled with beans, bacon, onion and assorted spices to put on top of the stove.

The back door swung open and JD rushed in. “Hey, Ezra – Inez, I brought the nuts. Mrs. Potter got them in just in time.”

“Excellent, JD, there should be a bowl over there,” I tilted my head to point to the far counter since my hands were full with the chicken pan. Inez held open the oven door and I slid it in as far as it would go before backing away from the flames so she could close it again.

“Great!” JD was talking happily about his Christmas present for Buck while pouring the almonds and pistachios into the yellow pottery bowl that I’d found in New Orleans several years ago. It was one of my favorite dishes and I’d brought it in from home remembering fondly the small shop in which I’d often browsed when I was flush. Maybe one day, Chris and I would visit my favorite city together?

Perhaps not too much in the future if he liked his Christmas present.

********* Josiah ********* 

I thumped the kitchen door with my boot since my hands were filled with the crate of oranges. JD opened it with a grin and I carried in my share of the festivities. Ezra was flushed from the oven and I felt the little thrill that seeing him like that always brought me. He was open and smiling, which made him even more beautiful to my sight. 

It was only a mental thrill these days although I think we both knew it might have been more if my eyes hadn’t been opened to the healing powers of my Nathan. My lover was the greatest gift I’d ever been given. Now, even Chris was finally more at ease with me. I rather thought that he also knew how close he’d come to losing the man with whom he was falling in love. 

Every once in a while I liked to needle him just a little though. He deserves it for almost letting Ezra slip through his hands, not to mention all the cruel things he said to the little southerner. But I thought perhaps he realized that because I’d never once heard or seen Ezra downhearted since they’d gotten together.

But that thought made me miss Nathan. I hadn’t seen him since we shared a raspberry jam filled omelet for breakfast so I made my goodbyes and quickly strode to the clinic. Knocking softly, I heard his ‘enter’ and then I was in the warm room with Nathan’s patient-smile dissolving into the smile that was mine alone.

We met in the middle of the room for our second kiss of the day and it was even better than the first. His lips are so soft and his tongue so tasty that we must have stood there for five minutes just kissing. We were both semi-hard when we broke off and just held each other. I’d missed the simple things like hugging and holding over the long years of my travels.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, Josiah?” He cupped my face with his warm hands and I moved just far enough to brush a kiss across his palm.

“Vin and Chris came back with Gloria’s order. The oranges came so I took them over to the saloon. Ezra was just putting the chickens into the oven.” I slid my hands slowly down his back.

He grinned knowingly at me and bumped our groins together. “And seeing Ezra all flushed and disheveled made you want to come and get me all lathered up.”

I blushed a little but he knew everything about me and accepted it. “We’ve got a couple of hours before we need to go over for dinner. We could . . . take the edge off.”

Nathan chuckled and gently wiggled over my suddenly rock hard groin. “I think maybe I better do more than just take the edge off. I think I should examine you to make sure that you’re not coming down with something. Part of you seems rather . . . swollen.”

********* Nathan ********* 

Josiah groaned just a little and I felt the satisfaction that sound always gave me. He was protective of Ezra and probably always would be but he’d come to me with his heart. I was a lucky, lucky man to have him. I pulled him along after me until we’d passed through the door that led into the cubbyhole that was my private space. With the two of us and the bed, there wasn’t much room but that was all right with me.

He was already unbuttoning my shirt with that look of concentration that never fails to move me. He saw the color of my skin, the quick temper I was trying to master and everything else while wrapping me in his love. I had to be the luckiest ex-slave in the entire West. I moaned a little when his callused fingers finally found my skin, caressing me with just his fingertips.

“Love this, Nathan, love the way you feel.” His husky whisper turned up the heat like no one else’s. It’s rough velvet poured over my ears and I loved listening to him tell a story or read a poem. But when he’s telling me that he loves me, well that’s when I listen the hardest. Only two people in my life have told me that, my mama and him.

But I needed to see him naked too so even though my brain was slow, my fingers weren’t. This was a race that we’d both win. Like everything else, we took turns loving each other and I licked my lips at the thought that it was my turn to have him inside of me. I pushed him back onto the bed, loving the deep chuckle that came from that barrel chest with the wiry brown and silver hair.

I stretched out on top of him and felt all those heavy muscles against mine with a sense of satisfaction. Our groins slid against each other, already a little damp and leaking. Reaching over to the shelf above the bed, I grabbed the jar of liniment that worked to ease Josiah’s bad knee and to lubricate our cocks. Getting a dollop out, I smoothed it over the magnificent organ that gave me so much pleasure.

He was chuckling again when I rose above him and guided him to my entrance. I took a brief moment to loosen the muscle there but I was more than ready for him. After a two year drought, we’d made up for lost time by making love twice a day and sometimes three when he stayed the night. His callused hands slid up my thighs to gently hold my cock while I slowly slid down until I was sitting on his thighs.

I could feel him pulse deep inside of me and the flash of warmth that would become a range fire when we started to move. “Love you, ‘Siah.”

“I love you too, Nathan.” His lips smiled up at me and his eyes crinkled. “And just wait until I give you your Christmas present.”

“Can’t wait,” I grinned back and started to ride him.

********* Chris ********* 

I finished the last leg of the patrol at the jail to relieve Buck. Stamping my boots at the edge of the board walk, I shook off the last of the snow before opening the pine door that welcomed me into warmth. Buck was sitting at the desk, head down over the drawings he was making of the house they wanted to build near mine.

Just thinking about the home Ezra and I had created brought a smile to my lips and the urge to find him and kiss him. Buck’s chuckle gave me a start and his blue eyes laughed at my daydreaming. “I know just what you want to go do and as soon as JD gets here, you can go do it.”

I barely reined in the urge to stick my tongue out at him. ‘Real mature, Larabee.’ But then I thought, ‘what the hell’ and did it anyway. “Like you’re any better, Stud. I know exactly what the two of you will be doing the minute the door shuts behind me.”

Those big eyes twinkled annoyingly. “And you’d be exactly right, Old Dog. Got to test out that mistletoe I’ve got hanging over the door, unless you want to give it a go?”

“Ugh,” I grimaced. “Kissing you would just be so wrong, I don’t have the right words but Ezra would.”

He raised both hands in a backing away motion. “No, no, no, don’t sick the Cook on me. He’d let my share of dinner burn if he even thought I was trying anything.”

I smiled smugly while warming my hands at the stove. “Yes he would but even worse he’d slip something, I don’t know what, into your food and not even that animal magnetism you brag about would save you.” And I let my hand fall loosely at the wrist with a glare.

“Chris, I have to tell you that your glare is a mere shadow of its former self.” He shook his head sadly and sighed heavily. “Ezra has done tamed the bad boy of the west to halter and I expect you know it.”

I couldn’t keep my glare because he was so very right. “He’s given me so much I truly don’t know what I’d do without him.” Turning my back to the stove I felt the warmth finally get through my jeans. “He’s so alive and just . . . so damn much fun it should probably be illegal.”

This time his smile was tender. “I know exactly what you mean, my friend. JD isn’t a child although I used that excuse for quite awhile to keep me from doing something wrong, but he brings so much joy to the least little thing he says or does that I feel like a born-again man just being with him.”

I laughed. “We’ve got it bad, Buck. And you know what? I don’t care. I’m going to do my very best to keep Ezra happy and satisfied for the rest of our lives.”

“Too bad we can’t take vows with them like you did with Sarah.” Buck grinned ruefully.

********* Buck ********* 

Chris didn’t even flinch at her name. I was more glad about that than I could ever say out loud. His eyes had a fond look but no longer a despairing one. His thin lips quirked up a little. “Probably never will be able to say it out loud to anybody but ourselves but I’m trying hard to remember to tell him everyday how much I love him and need him.”

Hollow stamping outside the door had me sitting up straight and looking eagerly to the door. I’d been a little disappointed to have Chris walk in instead of JD. The door opened, letting in a gust of snowy December air and my lover. His cheeks were rosy and his funny hat had a faint dusting of powdered snow on it. But his smile was shining bright when his eyes came right to me.

Chris chuckled and crossed the room to JD. “The streets are quiet, boys. I’m going to go over to see if Ezra will let me taste test anything for him.”

JD laughed right back at him. “It smells really good but almost everything is in or on the stove. Josiah brought in oranges and the nuts came too so there might be something to taste.”

Chris clapped him on his shoulder. “I’ll try to leave you guys a little something.” Then he was closing the door behind him while I got up and stalked over to my lover. 

He was practically bouncing on his heels when I hugged him close and slowly lowered my head for our fifth kiss of the day. His lips were cool from the winter air but his tongue was hot and wet when I slid mine in next to it. His little whimper and the hardness stabbing my groin was familiar and always welcome. He had a recovery time measured in minutes and I took full advantage of it.

His cold hands slid around me and into the waistband of my black broadloom pants. We were both dressed a little nicer than usual for the holidays but right now, I wanted him naked in the worst way. My nice warm hands slid down to cup his pert little cheeks and bring him an inch closer while he moaned a little and sucked harder on my tongue. He tasted of sweet oranges and I delighted in the way it changed his own tasty self.

But I needed more right at the moment and he seemed to agree, pulling just far enough away so I could unbutton his pants and let his lovely cock spring out to greet me. “JD, I may have forgotten to tell you about an old Irish custom of kissing under the mistletoe.”

He chortled. “Buck, I know about that and it’s not Irish at all.”

I kissed him hard once before dropping to my knees and beginning to lick the shiny red knob already leaking a little salty tear. “Ah but the Irish version has a little more substance to it, you see. It’s not lips I’ll be a’kissin’.”

********* JD ********* 

I swear I saw stars when he swallowed me whole. I leaned back against the door and locked my knees so I didn’t crumble to the floor. Buck has the hottest mouth in the west and what he can do with his tongue is probably against the law in every state of the union. But I wasn’t going to tell anybody because then he might stop and I’d have to shoot somebody.

I was shaking at every little thing he did, like suck a little and wrap his tongue around my crown before sucking a little harder. I tried not to move, I really did but it all felt so good I just had to thrust my hips towards his heat. He chuckled around me and I felt a shiver travel up through my chest, down my arms and into my hands. So I ran my fingers through his soft black hair until he hummed contentedly.

We both like giving each other scalp massages so he purred for me, the vibration making my balls drawn up tight. It was going to be soon because it felt like I’d been waiting for hours to make love with him. His big hands were cupping my ass cheeks and when one finger slid through my crease, I bit my hand to keep from shouting out loud and flooded his mouth with my come.

Jerking a little, I gave him every drop while being very glad the door was there to hold me up. His middle finger was tickling my hole and it made me shiver all over. Then he was gently letting my cock drop from his lips and standing up to share my taste with me. It tasted weird combined with the sweet orange I ate with Ezra and Inez. But that was okay, we’d tasted weird before and survived.

That middle finger had slipped inside of me and I pushed back to get him deeper. We’d taken our time with this kind of loving but once I’d taken him, he’d finally gotten me ready and taken my virginity. There was some pain but it paled beside how good it felt when he found that magic spot inside of me.

His mustache tickled when he slid his mouth over my cheek to the spot under my left ear that always heated my whole body. “You taste good, sweetheart. Now you see why the Irish will inherit the earth. Their kisses are just naturally better than anybody else’s.”

I giggled and tried to widen my legs but my pants were in the way. My hands found his belt buckle, the silver bucking bronco I’d gotten him for his birthday and unfastened it so I could get to his button fly. “I agree but what about the rest of us poor souls who aren’t Irish?”

He moaned a little when I freed his heavy cock from his pants. “Oh god, darlin’, you’ll never have to worry. I’ll take care of you myself.”

“I know a better way, Buck.” I fondled the thick bar of flesh in my hands. “I think you can make me Irish with an inoculation like Nathan did for us with the smallpox vaccine. All you have to do is get really deep inside of me and give me your seed. I’m pretty sure that would do it although you might have to do it a couple of times to make it work.”

He groaned and kissed me hard, his tongue surging against mine. But then he pulled away and spun me to facing the door. When I felt his tongue right where his finger had been, getting me wet and loosening the muscle, I thought I’d go insane. When his thumb popped through my pucker I knew I’d be stretched around his big cock soon. He was still real careful of me but that was all right, I liked taking care of him, too.

Then he was warming my back and his broad crown was nudging my hole until it finally broke through. I was panting hard at the pain but he rested there for a long minute until I relaxed enough for him to slide on in. Smiling into the pine door, I flexed around him and listened to his breath catch.

Irish kisses really were the best.

********* Vin ********* 

We all sat around the table fit to bust at the seams. Ezra’s dimple was in full play at all the compliments, but heck, he deserved ‘em. I had never eaten so much good stuff in one sitting in my life. There weren’t nothing left of the chickens or the beans and we’d made a pretty good dent in the fresh bread, too. All the smells had like to overcome my nose, kind of like the noise that mob had done to my ears when they were trying to hang Nate.

I’d taken a couple of breaks outside to clear it out and Ezra had checked on me to make sure I was okay. He can be a real mother-hen sometimes but secretly . . . I liked it. Chris was the closest thing I had to a brother so I guess that made Ezra one, too. Funny but after all these years, I was part of a family again. Part of me wished Chanu could be here enjoying this too but most of me knew how closed-in he’d feel in a white man’s town.

We were going to have our own celebration tomorrow when I rode out to the tribe. There was a little hot springs high in the hills he’d shown me a few weeks before and I thought it might be kind of fun to camp out there for a day or two. Maybe Ezra would let me take some of the fresh bread with me. Or maybe I’d ask Inez while she was distracted with her new husband.

Miguel Rodrigues had stayed behind after his father and brothers returned to Las Cruces. He would have plenty of work next spring when we built the next two houses for the seven. He and Inez had hit it off almost immediately and they’d married on December 1st this year. Their home was the small bedroom and bath at the back of the saloon. Miguel was making bricks out near where Josiah and Nathan’s house was going to be just outside of town about a half an hour’s ride from Chris and Ezra’s place.

Looking around the table, I thought about our last Christmas before any of us had gotten together. We’d been a tight knit group but nothing like we were now. Instead of us pairing off and losing our closeness, we’d paired off and clung together even tighter. Guarding each other, I guess. Making sure we had each other’s back in case somebody decided we were doing the devil’s work.

Didn’t rightly think the devil had anything to do with love but some folks got real queer ideas about what’s right and wrong. Don’t see how love can ever be wrong, leastways not if nobody’s hurting anybody else. We’d gotten quieter just now and I saw JD lean into Buck’s side with a little yawn. He’d been walking kind of stiff like when they came in the batwing doors and he surely did smell like Buck.

Nathan had come in all relaxed and calm and sure enough he’d smelled of Josiah. Ezra had been too busy to give Chris his own smell but I was willing to bet before the night was over, my friend would be walking kind of gingerly, too. And tomorrow, well I just have to make sure Chanu bore my scent for a week or so.

“Gentlemen and my lady,” Ezra stood up with a glass of amber whiskey in his hand. “I propose a toast. To the holidays and friends, may we celebrate many more.”

We all stood up and raised our glasses. “To many more.”

Yep, this Christmas was just the start of a family tradition. It was great to have a family again. Sitting back down, I smiled at Chris eyeing Ezra with a hunter’s look. I was real glad I’d be sleeping outside tonight. It was apt to be a mite noisy in the saloon.

************************************


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris comes home to a very tired Ezra.

*********Chris ********* 

Vin nodded goodbye and I waved him off. He was headed to the Indian encampment while I was heading home. Home – it had been a long time since I’d had one of those. The cattle behind me kept grazing and the calves played not too far away from their mothers. We’d effectively doubled the herd this spring with births and the elimination of a cranky old timber wolf Vin had shot in February.

I chuckled when Pony speeded up. He was almost as eager to get home as I was. We’d bought a palomino mare named Evangeline and if Pony had his way, she’d be pregnant six times over. Ezra confided to me that he thought she already was with foal but he didn’t have the heart to separate them. Besides, he’d been real inspired when we watched him mount her and had taken me right there in the barn where we’d been waiting to see if they would suit.

Moving a little in the saddle, I eased my suddenly tight jeans. It had been two days since I’d held or tasted my lover and I felt sorely deprived. But he should be home by now and neither of us had to be back in town for another couple of days. Smiling, I rode towards the terra cotta walls of our stucco home. It nestled into the ground like it had always been there and I smiled at the growing sprouts of green that surrounded the house on all sides.

Nathan and Ezra had diligently planted an herb garden of both healing and cooking herbs that would grow in this climate. They’d had so much fun doing it that I was pretty sure we’d be building a green house come fall. They wanted to get started earlier with their seedlings and I had to admit it would be really nice not to have to tiptoe through my own house so I didn’t disturb the trays of tiny plants.

Unsaddling Pony, I noticed Chaucer was loose in the corral and he’d already had a dust bath by the look of his coat. That made me frown a bit since Ezra usually curry-combed him after the ride out and I could still see the sweat marks left by the saddle blanket on his back. So, I shortened my care of Pony but he didn’t mind since I released him into the second corral where Evangeline was waiting for him.

She flirted with a flick of her tail and a toss of her head that shook her white mane. It was the spitting image of Ezra’s teasing little shake and my pants tightened at the thought. Heading across the slightly muddy yard, I followed the flagstones Ezra had laid out in a double curve across what would one day be more garden if he had his way. And I was definitely going to let him have his way since the results were sure to be great.

At the back door, I spotted his boots and made sure I took off mine to sit beside them. There was mud caked on his and I frowned down at the black leather, wondering what had distracted him from immediately cleaning them. Opening the door, I almost tripped over his socks, soaking wet. Picking them up, I spotted his red jacket dark with stains half hanging off the back of the kitchen chair and his gun belt with gun on the small table where I sat to shuck peas while he was cooking.

Just beyond them was his white shirt covered with black splotches in a heap on the red tiles. I stuffed his socks into the pocket of his jacket then picked up his shirt and kept on going into the dining room. I was moving more quickly although I could tell none of the stains were blood. His damp pants were barely on the dining room table and I gathered them in as well. By now, I was wondering just what in hell had gone on to get him so dirty. But when I reached the parlor and his silk drawers, all I could see was him, sprawled on the settee.

Butt-naked.

Face down, his beautiful hair sticking up all which-way.

Kneeling by his side, I breathed in that scent I’d missed while he was in town. It was rich and strong, which probably meant he hadn’t bathed the entire time he’d been gone. Little goose bumps on his back told me he was starting to cool down and would soon be uncomfortable. I didn’t want him catching a chill so I dropped a kiss on his bare shoulder, quietly got up and moved to the bathroom. Dropping the dirty clothes into the bushel basket we kept there, I lit the stove and made sure the water level was high.

Then I went in to the guest room and pulled the Star quilt off my old bed. Tiptoeing back to the parlor, I covered him up. He didn’t even twitch and that told me he probably hadn’t slept much for the last two days either. I could hardly wait to find out what the hell had gone on in Four Corners while Vin and I were out chasing cattle. But for now, I left him sleeping and went to make sure all the stoves had wood and at least three of them were heating water.

I can’t cook worth a damn but I’d watched him make stew often enough that I thought I could at least get it started with the coneys I’d shot on the way back to the ranch. There wasn’t any fresh bread baked but once he got rested up, Ezra would take care of that lack. I kept as quiet as I could while I worked, checking on my lover every fifteen minutes or so. But he never even stirred for almost two hours.

The stew smelled pretty good by then and my stomach growled at the same moment I saw his head move a little. Kneeling by his side, I gently stroked his hair with a single finger. A little sigh told me he was finally waking up. Watching him is second nature now that we’re lovers. Every part of him is beautiful.

“Chris,” his sleepy whisper accompanied a twitch of his mouth.

“Love you,” I whispered back, kissing his ear.

“Love you, too,” he mumbled. “Okay?”

“I’m fine but I’m not so sure about you.” I teased him gently. “You know your jacket may never recover.”

He snorted a delicate little snort and his eye cracked open. Shimmering green made my heart skip a beat. “You’re probably right.”

“What happened to wear you out so badly, Ezra? There anybody I need to shoot?” I asked him, watching him slowly and painstakingly roll up onto his side.

He gave my offer some thought then a small smile lifted the corners of that kissable mouth of his. “While there were several moments when I would have taken you up on that kind offer, I believe the prime miscreant was suitably punished. Unfortunately there was more than one disturber of the peace. There wasn’t even a full moon upon which I could blame the sheer crazed behavior.”

“Well, you can tell me all about them while we take a bath.” I pulled back the quilt and ogled his naked body. “The water is hot, I promise you a soapy massage and then I’ll feed you dinner in bed.”

“Nirvana, beloved,” He sighed and forced himself up onto one elbow. “I think I may need some help getting up, Chris.”

I’ll do anything that entails getting my hands on him. Pulling him upright, I hugged him close and ran my hands up and down his back. “You know I always like getting you ‘up’, Ezra.”

His chuckle was tired but he pressed a soft kiss to my chest right above my heart. “Once I’ve gotten a little more sleep, beloved, I shall enjoy getting both of us ‘up’.” I felt his nose twitch. “Something smells heavenly and I know it can’t be me.”

“Rabbit stew, I hope it’s as good as yours.” I admitted, walking him backwards towards the bathroom. “After a nice hot bath, I thought I might serve you dinner in bed.”

“Wonderful,” he let me move him with closed eyes, tickling my skin with a big yawn. “It will be food fit for the gods, Chris. I just hope I can stay awake long enough to eat some. I can’t remember the last time I sat down to eat.”

I frowned. What the hell had gone on in town? “Once we’re clean and full, you’re going to give me the full story, all right?”

He nodded, taking a deep breath of the slightly steaming air of our bathroom. “Yes, of course I will, Chris.” 

I helped him into the tub and watched him slump against the high porcelain back. The look of bliss on his beautiful face made me smile and I joined him with soap in hand to start washing his feet. He loves it when I do that so I try to work it in whenever I can.

Those expressive green eyes were half-slitted in pleasure while I soothed caresses up and down the high arch on his right foot. “I’ll give you a hundred years to stop that, my love.”

Grinning, I splashed it free of soap and leaned over to suck his little toe into my mouth. The noise he made then made my cock go absolutely rigid and I eyed his shaft, which was only then even twitching. He really was tired, I thought.

“My very dear Chris, once we are out of this tub and in our nice soft feather bed, you are going to come inside of me with that beautifully rigid shaft.” The toes on his other foot played with my balls and I shivered with the need to claim him all over again.

But he was still only twitching and I reined in my need to take care of him. “I’d be glad to do that, Ezra, but not until after I get you washed and fed.”

He pouted, just a little but it made me want to kiss him again. “Very well, I shall accede to your wishes. I am a trifle hungry.”

That meant he was starving and I sped up our bath so I could get him into bed. He got in a few tantalizing caresses of his own and I was hard as a rock when we finally got out of the tub, drying each other off with the soft terrycloth towels he’d sent to San Francisco for. I walked him back to our bedroom and tucked him in. He was adorably sleepy and it felt like tucking in small Adam.

“Just a little nap . . . Chris . . .” his murmur was so soft I had to lean in to catch it. “Words of . . . wisdom . . . never get between . . . a woman . . . and . . . her . . . pig.”

I blinked but he was out like a candle. I could hardly wait for the rest of that story.

*********


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ash challenge - one of the elements in fifteen minutes.

********* Ezra ********* 

I've always enjoyed a crackling fire.

It cooks our food, warms our homes, lights up our nights.

Whether it's the small flame of a wax taper or the comforting flicker of logs on our hearth, fire soothes and enriches our lives.

Without it, I couldn't roast a delicious chicken; boil new spring potatoes; brew a cup of tea; bake a chocolate cake; toast zesty garlic bread; grill a trout; or broil a thick steak.

Even worse, I couldn't luxuriate in a steamy bath or warm cold sheets with a hot water bottle.

But there is a fire I could do without. I wouldn't mind weaning Chris from those smoky cigarillos with the obnoxious fumes. The living room curtains may never come clean. I'll work on that.

******************


End file.
